


The Help of a Steady Hand

by enigmaticblue



Category: Eureka
Genre: F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-02-20
Updated: 2011-02-20
Packaged: 2017-10-15 19:29:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 54,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/164187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enigmaticblue/pseuds/enigmaticblue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Fargo manages to bring Nathan Stark back from the dead, it sparks a series of events that will change Eureka forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> The title is taken from Maria Taylor's song, "Time Lapse Lifeline". This was written as part of the syfybigbang on Livejournal, and you can see the wonderful art for this fic [at deadflowers5's journal.](http://deadflowers5.livejournal.com/91067.html#cutid1)

_I'm keeping up, keeping up with the time lapse lifeline  
And they can run they can run from the font to the Last Rites  
And we can hear we can hear the first beat to the flat line  
I'm keeping up, keeping up with the time lapse lifeline  
And once it's done_

 _Oh we dreamed a life  
It was just like that, was like that  
And just like that, and just like that it's done_

 _…_

 _  
_   
_Still we stand with the help of a steady hand  
Capture images of boy and man  
Till it's done  
And 7 years combined is just the flicker of a neon sign  
Little negative of hopes refined  
Till they're done, oh they're done_

 

~Maria Taylor, “Time Lapse Lifeline”

 **“Home is where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” ~Robert Frost**

 

Jack frowned, shifting a little on the stool in Henry’s lab. “You want to do what?”

 

“I want to bring Zane in on this.” Jo’s mulish expression indicated that she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

 

Jack rubbed his hands on his pants. He understood why Jo wanted to tell Zane; Zane was already far too close to the truth for Jack’s peace of mind. “Telling Zane about the alternate timeline isn’t going to make him the same guy you knew,” he said gently.

 

“I’m aware of that.” Jo’s voice was tight as she gritted out the words.

 

Jack sighed and turned to Henry. “What do you think?”

 

Henry shared a look with Grace. “I think Jo’s right. If we don’t tell Zane, he’ll probably discover it on his own, and he may let something slip without meaning to.”

 

Jack thought of Mansfield’s upcoming investigation and how Zane might be able to help. “We might need him,” he finally said. “If anyone can cover our tracks, it’s him.”

 

“I agree,” Grace said. “No one is better at breaking the law, and we may need someone with those skills on our side.”

 

Jack saw the proud, pleased smile on Henry’s face and knew it came from having Grace’s unequivocal support. They’d gone through a rough patch, but after using the memory-sharing device, they were on solid ground.

 

“I agree,” Henry said. “We have to discover who was ultimately behind the theft of the DED, too. I don’t think I’m going to have a good night’s sleep until we find out who Beverly was working for.”

 

Jack closed his eyes, feeling a sense of dread; this situation smacked of certain disaster. “I agree. Andy and I are trying to dig up more information on the Barlowes, but someone has covered their tracks really well.”

 

“And that’s another good reason to call Zane in,” Jo put in. “He can probably help.”

 

Jack nodded, wondering if giving Zane that kind of responsibility would settle him down, or if he’d fuck it up and they’d all pay the price. “I’ll let you recruit him, Jo.”

 

Jo made a face. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. “Now, wait just a minute. _You’re_ the one who wants to get him involved.”

 

Jo wouldn’t meet Jack’s eyes. “He kissed me.”

 

She said it all in a rush, and Jack could see Henry and Grace wince in unison, their expressions probably mirroring his own. “He’s still dating Zoe,” Jack said flatly.

 

“I know.” Jo sounded absolutely miserable, and Jack scrubbed his hands over his face. They didn’t have time for this kind of emotional mess.

 

Henry cleared his throat. “Jo, it has to be you. You’re the only one who can explain the nature of your relationship with the other Zane.”

 

“I know,” Jo repeated. “I’ll take care of it.”

 

“I’m going to end up punching him in the face,” Jack muttered grimly. “I just know it.”

 

“All the more reason that you _not_ be the one to talk to him,” Grace pointed out.

 

Jack shook his head. “That’s probably true. Think you can handle it, Jo?”

 

She nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

 

Henry’s dark eyes were worried. “Just make sure you impress upon him the importance of keeping this quiet. I don’t trust Mansfield to be reasonable.”

 

“I don’t either,” Jack agreed. “But I think Jo is right. Zane isn’t a fan of Mansfield, and he’s not going to shoot off his mouth, not when he owes us.” Jack rose. “Unless there’s something else, I need to check in with Andy.”

 

Jo rose as well. “I should find Zane.”

 

Henry nodded. “Be careful, both of you.”

 

Jo smiled stiffly. “You got it, Henry. Thanks.”

 

He and Jo walked out of Henry’s lab shoulder-to-shoulder. “Are you okay?”

 

“I don’t know,” she replied quietly. “No matter how this plays out, I’m pretty much screwed, Carter. If Zoe finds out…”

 

“She won’t hear it from me,” Jack promised. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier. About why you wanted to tell Zane the truth.”

 

“You’re right,” Jo said, her mouth set in a grim line as they strode down the hallway. “He’s not the same person, and nothing I do will change that. But how much is due to how you or I treated him in this timeline? Is it really him who’s different, or is it due to the circumstances?”

 

Jack didn’t feel up to dealing with such philosophical questions. “I guess we’ll never know. Just be careful, okay? I don’t want you to get hurt.”

 

“Thanks, Carter.” Jo offered a wobbly smile. “I’m going to make sure Zoe stays out of this, too.”

 

“I appreciate that, but as much as I hate to say it, she’s—” The rest of Jack’s reply was cut off when Fargo ran into him at full speed. “Whoa, Fargo. Where’s the fire?”

 

“I’ve figured it out, Sheriff Carter.” Fargo was nearly vibrating with excitement, clutching a tablet in one hand and pushing his glasses back into place with the other. His jacket was nowhere to be seen, his tie was askew, and his face was flushed.

 

Crap, Jack thought. This did not bode well.

 

“What did you figure out?” Jack asked, reining in his impatience.

 

“How to bring Dr. Stark back!” Fargo said. “I gotta go.”

 

Jack wasn’t going to leave that alone, and he exchanged one quick look with Jo. They followed Fargo down to a lab on level 4, and Jack immediately recognized the photon accelerator where Stark had dematerialized a couple of years before.

 

“What the hell are you doing, Fargo?” Jack asked as they entered the room seconds behind Fargo. “Stark is gone.”

 

“No, he’s not,” Fargo replied. “He’s dematerialized and trapped between space and time. You said it yourself. I’ve finally figured out how to rematerialize him.”

 

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. Was Stark was going to haunt him forever? “Can’t this wait until Allison gets back?”

 

“No, it can’t,” Fargo replied. “General Mansfield is out of the country, and if we wait, we might never get Dr. Stark back, because Mansfield will order me not to waste resources on something like this.” Fargo appeared uncharacteristically resolute. “Look, if you want to stay, you can. I’ll grab some extra safety goggles.”

 

After a moment’s hesitation, Jack nodded, certain that he wouldn’t be able to stop Fargo short of arresting him. And the paperwork that would result from arresting the head of GD would be more of a headache than Jack could handle right now.

 

Fargo rummaged in a drawer and came up with a couple of spare pairs of goggles. Jack let his hang from his fingers as he called Andy. “Andy, something has come up at GD. I’ll let you know when I’m free.”

 

“Anything I can help with, Sheriff?” Andy asked cheerfully.

 

He was always cheerful; Jack sometimes thought it a flaw in Andy’s programming, although he would never say as much. He knew how sensitive AIs could be.

 

“I don’t think so, Deputy. Just keep an eye on things for me,” Jack replied. “I’ll check in later.”

 

“Sure, Sheriff. Let me know if you need my assistance.”

 

“Will do,” Jack promised and hung up.

 

Jack leaned against the wall of the unused lab, his eyes narrowed as he watched Fargo bustle around the clear tube. When he’d told Fargo and the others what Stark had said about not being dead, Jack hadn’t thought anything would come of it. He should have known better.

 

Jo’s arm pressed against his where she next to him. “How’s the new house coming?” Jack asked quietly both because he was curious and to pass the time.

 

“Just a few more days, and it’ll be done.” She shot him a grin. “No offense, Carter, but I’m looking forward to having my own space again. At least I won’t have to run into Deputy Andy coming out of the closet every other morning.”

 

Jack coughed to hide a laugh.

 

“ _You_ can laugh,” Jo said sourly. “You’re not celibate.”

 

Jack winced. “Yeah, well, I might be if Fargo manages to bring Stark back.”

 

Jo gave him a sympathetic shoulder bump. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Allison isn’t going to dump you.”

 

Jack shook his head. “I can’t compete with Stark, Jo. I never could, and I’d do anything to make her happy.”

 

“Allison knows that.” Jo crossed her arms over her chest. “When is she getting back?”

 

“Day after tomorrow,” Jack replied.

 

“How are you doing with the kids?”

 

Jack shrugged. “Good. The nanny is great. She stays until Jenna’s in bed, so all I have to do is make sure Kevin doesn’t play video games all night.”

 

Jo chuckled. “You’re going to be happy to see her again, aren’t you?”

 

“Something that like,” he admitted with a grin. “I just wish this could wait until she was here.”

 

“If I were Allison, I’d probably want some time to process before being faced with the reality,” Jo pointed out. “And you can’t tell me you don’t feel the same way.”

 

“No, I can’t,” Jack admitted, some of the tension leaving him. One thing Jack had come to appreciate about this altered timeline was the renewed closeness between him and Jo. He missed his deputy, but he’d gained a good friend.

 

“We’re almost ready!” Fargo called from across the room. “Safety glasses on.”

 

Jack glanced at Jo, and then they both put on the safety glasses Fargo had provided. “If we concentrate the ultra-indigo light, and decelerate the particles, Dr. Stark should rematerialize,” Fargo explained as he tapped his keyboard.

 

“Is there any chance of an explosion?” Jo called out.

 

“No, we should be fine. There’s a small chance of retinal damage with the light, but that’s what the safety glasses are for.” Fargo offered a shaky smile. “Wish me luck!”

 

Jack allowed Jo to be the one to make that wish. He felt torn; Jack didn’t want to leave Stark in limbo, but he didn’t want Stark back either.

 

But then there was the fact that Jack had actually been glad to see the man when Stark had appeared out of the blue. Jack wouldn’t admit it to anyone, not even on pain of death, but he didn’t dislike Stark nearly as much as he wished he did.

 

And if Fargo succeeded, Jack suspected that not being able to hate Stark would only make things harder.

 

“Here we go,” Fargo called.

 

The equipment began emitting a low whine, growing in volume and increasing in pitch until both Jack and Jo put their fingers in their ears.

 

“Almost there!” Fargo shouted over the noise.

 

The flash of light nearly blinded Jack even through the safety glasses, and he blinked rapidly against the after-images that obscured his sight.

 

When his vision finally cleared, Jack spotted Stark slumped in the clear, plastic tube, apparently unconscious. Fargo was struggling with the door; Jo was already calling for a med team on her radio. Jack leapt to Fargo’s aid, wrenching the door open and hauling Stark out.

 

Jack fumbled at Stark’s neck, trying and failing to find a pulse. When he realized that Stark wasn’t breathing, Jack tilted Stark’s head back and began CPR.

 

Distantly, Jack could hear Jo shouting at someone over the phone, but he focused on counting, on breathing, on getting _Stark_ to breathe again. Losing him now, after Fargo had saved him, would be a different kind of horror.

 

“Come on,” Jack muttered on the third set of compressions. “Come on! Don’t you dare die on me now.”

 

Stark coughed, gasping for breath, and Jack pulled him into a sitting position, Stark’s shoulder resting against his chest. “That’s right,” Jack said. “Deep breaths.”

 

“Jack,” Stark managed, his hands scrabbling weakly at the front of Jack’s uniform. “Is it—are you real?”

 

Jack frowned, but said, “Yeah, I’m real. I’m right here.”

 

“God, Jack,” Stark said, clinging even tighter. “I haven’t felt anything in so long. It felt like forever.”

 

“Yeah,” Jack managed. “It’s been way too long.”

 

He glanced up as the medical unit rushed into the lab, but Stark refused to release Jack even when the paramedics tried to work on him. “Jack—”

 

“I’m staying with you,” Jack said, helping Stark onto the gurney. “I’m going to be right here, but the doctors need to look at you.”

 

Stark closed his eyes. “I’m not dreaming again?”

 

“No, definitely not a dream.” Jack glanced at Jo as they passed her. “I’ll call Allison later,” he told her in a low voice.

 

If anyone was going to deliver the news to Allison that Nathan Stark was back from the dead, it had to be him. Jack wanted to be the one to tell her, to hear her voice when he did.

 

That way, he’d know if he was going to lose Allison to Stark once again.

 

~~~~~

 

Allison strode down the hallway of the convention center, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She had always liked the sound; to her, it spoke of authority and competence. For her, a business suit and heels were like armor, and she’d needed every bit she could put on.

 

Allison trusted Jack with her kids; he had the nanny to help, and he was really good with them. But this was the first time she’d been away from home since Kevin had changed, and since Jenna had been born. She couldn’t help but worry.

 

At least the first big hurdle had been crossed; Allison had just completed her talk on the use of nanotechnology in the treatment of diseases such as cancer. Her findings were preliminary but showed enough promise to warrant a presentation. But she had another day of panels and lectures to get through, and then a day of travel, before she could get back to her kids.

 

And Jack. Allison missed him more than she’d expected.

 

Her cell phone rang, and her stomach flipped when she saw “Jack Carter” on the caller ID. Jack had called the last two nights, but well after the conference had finished for the day. That way, he could goad Kevin into getting on the phone for a few minutes, and coax Jenna into squealing a few almost-words into the handset.

 

The fact that Jack was calling in the middle of the day indicated that something was very wrong.

 

“Hello? Jack?”

 

“Allison.” The single word felt weighty. “Jenna and Kevin are fine.”

 

She was grateful for the immediate reassurance, but there were half a dozen other people that she could and did worry about. “Zoe?”

 

“It’s not any of the kids. It’s not—” Jack paused. “Maybe you should sit down for this. Is there anywhere—”

 

Allison glanced around and spotted a bench. “Okay. I’m sitting. Tell me.”

 

“It’s Stark—Nathan. Fargo got him back.”

 

She felt her heart skip a beat. “I don’t understand.”

 

“I don’t either,” Jack replied. “But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s here.”

 

“Where?”

 

“In the infirmary. Dr. Li sedated him because he was so freaked out—something about being in sensory deprivation for too long,” Jack replied. “He’s sleeping, but I don’t want to leave him alone.”

 

Allison took a deep breath. “Okay. Do you want me to leave now?”

 

She could hear him take a deep breath. “Yeah, I want you back, but I think you should stay. If you come home early, we risk alerting Mansfield, and we can’t take that chance.”

 

“You’re right,” Allison replied immediately. “We can’t afford mistakes right now.”

 

“No, we can’t.”

 

Jack’s voice was weighted down with worry and fear, and Allison wished she could be there with him. She had a feeling that nothing she said would be sufficient reassurance over the phone. “Jack. I love you.”

 

“I love you, too. I’ll talk to you later. I don’t know what time I’ll get home, but Sheila agreed to wait around until I get there.”

 

“I’m not worried about that,” Allison said. “Jack—”

 

“We’ll talk when you get back.”

 

Allison sighed, hearing the finality in his tone. “I meant what I said.”

 

“I know you did.”

 

They said their goodbyes, and Allison ended the call with a sense of dread. The news that Nathan was alive should have been a relief, even a reason for joy, but instead Allison could only think of the trouble it would cause.

 

She tucked her phone in her purse and rose to her feet. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?” she muttered.

 

“Dr. Blake!” A stout, balding man hurried towards her. “I wanted to talk to you about your presentation and the work you’re doing.” His accent suggested that he was from South Africa. “It was most informative.”

 

Allison forced herself to smile pleasantly. “I’d be happy to speak with you. I’m on my way to the panel on bone regeneration right now, though.”

 

“I’ll walk with you,” he replied. “I’m heading that way. I’m Dr. Niels DeRaadt.”

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Doctor,” Allison said. Meeting and greeting other professionals was also part of her job, and she understood the importance of making contacts outside Global Dynamics, to bring in other investors and spread word of the work they were doing.

 

Allison might not want to deal with it right now, but this was her job, and duty called.

 

“What part of my presentation most interested you?” Allison inquired, beginning to walk to the next panel.

 

“Have you truly managed to harness the power of nanotechnology?” Dr. DeRaadt asked.

 

“Global Dynamics is on the cutting edge,” Allison replied. “We’re doing quite a bit with nanotech.”

 

Maybe if she threw herself into her work, she’d be able to concentrate, Allison thought, but she didn’t hold out much hope.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo strode down the hallway toward Henry’s lab, feeling a jolt when she peeked in and saw him standing with Grace. Their heads were bent close together over a piece of equipment Jo didn’t recognize, Grace laughing at something Henry said.

 

She didn’t begrudge Henry or Jack their happiness. Jo had watched them both struggle for too long not to appreciate the fact that each had found someone special.

 

But Jo still felt like a fifth wheel.

 

“Henry?”

 

He glanced up with a smile. “Aren’t you supposed to be tracking down Zane?”

 

Jo didn’t respond to that question, instead launching into her explanation. “Fargo brought Stark back. He’s in the infirmary right now. Carter’s with him.”

 

Henry’s eyes went wide with alarm. “Fargo managed to reverse the effects of the particle accelerator?” he demanded. “We talked about how it might be done the other day. He wanted help getting around a couple of problems, but…”

 

“Fargo wants to prove himself,” Grace said quietly. “This was one way to do it.”

 

Henry nodded slowly. “You’re probably right. You said Jack’s with him now?”

 

Jo described what had happened. “Stark was hanging onto Carter pretty tight.”

 

“Sensory deprivation,” Grace suggested. “He’s probably starved for touch, and they were fairly close anyway.”

 

Henry laughed. “Jack and Nathan?”

 

“Well…” Grace began and then stopped. “They weren’t?”

 

“They both pursued Allison.” Henry frowned. “Although they did work well together when push came to shove.”

 

Grace chuckled. “That’s going to make things interesting. Let’s just say that no one in Eureka knew who was winning between the three of them at any given point in time.”

 

Henry let out a low whistle. “That _is_ going to complicate things.”

 

“I’m not sure I understand,” Jo said.

 

“When Jack first arrived in Eureka, he was interested in Allison, who was still hung up on Nathan, who started pursuing Jack. I don’t think Jack ever returned the favor with Nathan, although it’s possible, but they basically went around in circles for two years.” Grace sighed. “It wasn’t until Allison announced that she was pregnant with Nathan’s child that anyone knew they’d been together. And that was _after_ Nathan had—well, after we’d all thought he’d died.”

 

“And Jack and Nathan were friends?” Jo asked incredulously.

 

“Sometimes,” Grace replied. “When they weren’t fighting. There was a lot of gossip, and a couple of people had a pool going.”

 

“Allison and Nathan weren’t getting married?” Henry asked.

 

Grace shook her head. “Not that I know of.”

 

Jo let out a breath. “Well.”

 

“They’ll figure it out,” Henry said, projecting an assurance Jo wasn’t sure she felt. She didn’t know that Henry believed it either.

 

“I still have rounds, and I need to find Zane,” Jo said. “I wanted to give you a heads up, though, since I wasn’t sure when or if Carter would be able to do it.”

 

“Thank you, Jo,” Henry said. “We’ll head down to the infirmary and make sure everything is okay.”

 

Jo nodded shortly and headed out of the lab. Two of GD’s scientists hadn’t given her their weekly security reports yet, and she was in the mood to intimidate.

 

She’d just finished a satisfying verbal sparring session with Dr. Parrish, and was heading up to Section 3, when she saw Zane walking down the hallway towards her.

 

“Lupo, there you are,” Zane said. “I’ve been looking for you.”

 

“Well, that makes two of us,” Jo said, managing to keep what she hoped was a neutral expression. “What do you want, Zane?”

 

“I told you that we weren’t finished,” Zane replied, keeping his voice low. “I want to know how you got my grandmother’s ring—especially since my mom swears she still has it.”

 

Jo grabbed his arm tightly and began hauling him down the hallway. “I’ll tell you, but not here.”

 

“Your office?” Zane asked, somehow making the words sound like a proposition.

 

“No, not my office either. I don’t know who’s listening in.”

 

Zane gave her a speculative look. “You know, a little paranoia never hurt anybody, but you’re taking it to new levels.”

 

“When you hear what I have to say, you’ll understand,” Jo responded grimly. “Just trust me, Zane.”

 

“Yeah, okay,” Zane replied, suddenly and deceptively docile. “I trust you. Where are we going?”

 

Jo took a deep breath. “To the park. It should be safe enough.”

 

She hoped it would be safe. She hoped Zane wouldn’t freak out too much when she told him the story, and that she wasn’t putting the others in danger by filling him in.

 

And Jo hoped like hell that she wasn’t making matters worse.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan woke slowly, his mouth dry and his limbs like lead weights. His chest felt like someone had been sitting on it. That alone was a comfort. He didn’t remember feeling this shitty in any of his hallucinations.

 

“Hey.”

 

Nathan turned his head to see Jack sitting in the chair next to his bed. “Hey,” he managed.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

“Thirsty.”

 

“Yeah. Hang on.” Jack fumbled with the controls for the bed, and then with the glass of water and a straw. “Here.”

 

Nathan sipped cautiously. The water felt real—cool and wet and perfect. “Thanks.”

 

“No problem.” Jack put the glass back on the table next to the bed. “Uh, Henry told me to call him when you woke up. I’ve—I’ve got to get home. Allison’s out of town, so I’m looking after the kids, and I don’t want to keep the nanny any later.”

 

Nathan blinked. His brain was still a little sluggish, but Jack’s words didn’t make sense. “Kids? I thought it was just Kevin.”

 

Jack’s expression of dismay would have been comical if Nathan hadn’t been so confused. “I—yeah. Allison had another. Uh, Jenna. Dammit, this isn’t how I wanted to tell you.”

 

Nathan frowned, recognizing his mother’s name. “Start from the beginning, Jack.”

 

“You’ve been gone almost two years now,” Jack began, his voice gentling. “Allison found out she was pregnant shortly after you disappeared.”

 

It took Nathan a moment to process the information. “She’s mine?”

 

“Yeah, she’s yours.” Jack sat back down, crossing his arms in a defensive gesture that Nathan knew well.

 

Nathan swallowed hard. “You and Allison?”

 

“It’s new,” Jack confirmed. “But yeah.”

 

“Thought you might.” Nathan choked out a laugh. “God knew something had to break, and if I wasn’t around to distract either of you…”

 

Jack squeezed his shoulder. “Look, I promised Henry I’d call him. One of us is going to stay with you until you’re feeling a little better, okay?”

 

“What’s wrong with me?” Nathan asked, not willing to let Jack leave quite yet. He didn’t know who he was more jealous of right now—Jack or Allison. Maybe both of them, because he’d wanted both, and he’d lost both.

 

Jack cleared his throat. “Nothing that a little time won’t fix, but you were essentially in sensory deprivation for two years. Dr. Li said there might be an adjustment period.”

 

“Yeah.” Nathan closed his eyes and felt Jack pat his shoulder awkwardly. “Go call Henry.”

 

“Nathan, I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s not your fault,” Nathan managed to say. “I asked you to look after them. I knew—just, go call.”

 

Jack patted his shoulder one last time. “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

 

Nathan didn’t reply; he wanted to see Jack again, and he wanted to see Allison, but he didn’t know that he could face seeing them together, of knowing that he’d lost them both.

 

He’d been in that strange in-between place for so long, unable to affect anything, unable to see, hear, smell, touch or taste. Nathan hadn’t been able to tell how much time had passed. There had been nothing but his hallucinations—mostly centering on having Jack or having Allison, or having both of them at once. He’d dreamed of having a family, of being happy, only to have it all fade away until he began dreaming again.

 

Nathan wondered if dreaming wouldn’t have been better under the circumstances.

 

~~~~~

 

Zane stared at Lupo. “You’re not serious.”

 

She refused to look at him. “Do you have a better explanation?”

 

“I don’t _have_ an explanation,” Zane shot back. “You’ve been acting weird since…”

 

Since Founder’s Day, his memory prompted. She’d had his grandmother’s ring that day, and Fargo had been less of a prick since then. Grant had been smuggled in under the radar, and then smuggled out the same way.

 

Zane closed his eyes, focusing on the pressure the bench put on his shoulder blades, the warmth of the sun, and the call of birds in the trees of Copernicus Park. It was unsettling to think that he’d changed, that the whole world had been changed, and he hadn’t known about it until just this moment.

 

“This is fucked up,” he said quietly.

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

Zane opened his eyes and saw the quiet devastation on her face. “We were together. I asked you to marry me.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Zane hated to admit it, but he could see the appeal. In another universe, in another life, maybe he would have been interested.

 

Hell, he was interested _now_.

 

“It explains a lot,” Zane said slowly. “That wasn’t our first kiss, then.”

 

Lupo’s expression hardened. “Yes, it was. You aren’t the same person I knew.”

 

“Why are you telling me this now?” Zane asked. “You could have said something earlier.”

 

Lupo shook her head. “My life isn’t the only one at risk. If Mansfield finds out, we could all be sanctioned.”

 

“You _would_ be,” Zane corrected her. “Mansfield wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of you. He put Fargo in charge because he thought he could control GD that way. But if you, Carter, Dr. Blake, and Henry threw your weight behind Fargo, you might be able to get control away from the military tools.”

 

Lupo rubbed her eyes. “Yeah, that’s pretty much what we were afraid of.”

 

“What do you want from me?” he finally asked.

 

“You figured out that Grant’s identity was faked,” Lupo pointed out. “Mansfield is going to begin an investigation, and while Grant is gone now, we’re not sure how well the information going to hold up.”

 

“You want me to help you cover your tracks,” Zane stated flatly.

 

She winced. “Yeah, and to figure out who Beverly is working for, and what they want.”

 

“No problem,” Zane said immediately. At Lupo’s look of surprise, he explained, “They set me up to take the fall for them. I’m not stupid, Lupo. Mansfield is looking for an excuse to lock me up and throw away the key. I want payback.”

 

“Fair enough,” Lupo agreed. “You should talk to Carter soon.”

 

Zane rose from the bench. He needed some space to think about this. “Yeah, sure. I know where to find him.”

 

Lupo coughed. “Actually, try the infirmary.”

 

“Did something happen to the sheriff?” Zane asked. He and Carter weren’t friends, but he liked to know his enemy, and he knew Carter. Zane knew he had a better chance at getting a fair deal from the sheriff than some other DOD goon appointed by Mansfield.

 

Besides, he liked Zoe quite a bit, and Zane knew she’d be devastated if something happened to her dad.

 

“Fargo managed to bring Dr. Stark back from the dead,” Lupo admitted after a beat. “He’s in the infirmary now.”

 

“Holy shit,” Zane breathed. Stark had been the only director of GD to date to go head-to-head against Mansfield and win, probably because the size of his ego wouldn’t allow him to back down. The rumor was that Mansfield had been thrilled at the news of Stark’s death. “This is a game changer.”

 

“Maybe,” Lupo allowed. “It’s hard to say whether or not he’s going to be in any shape to help, though.”

 

Zane shook his head. “You don’t know Stark. If he thinks anything is threatening Sheriff Carter or Dr. Blake…let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be the person getting in his way.”

 

“I guess we’ll see.”

 

Lupo’s dubious tone caused Zane’s grin to grow. As far as he was concerned, Stark being back could only be a good thing.

 

“Trust me, Lupo,” Zane said. “This just made everything a hell of a lot more interesting.”

 

He’d meant for the comment to be a joke, but she seemed to be measuring him with big, dark eyes, her expression serious. “I trust you,” she finally said.

 

Something twisted inside his chest, and Zane wondered what the hell he was supposed to do with that. “Jo…”

 

“No, don’t,” she ordered, cutting him off. “Don’t make any promises, not while you’re still dating Zoe. She doesn’t know yet, and I’m not sure Carter wants her involved.”

 

“I’m not sure he has a choice.” There was a part of Zane that had known dating Zoe was a _really_ bad idea. Annoying the sheriff was one thing, but breaking his daughter’s heart—well, Zane was smart enough to know just how insane Carter could get when it came to Zoe. “But she won’t hear it from me.”

 

“See that she doesn’t.” Lupo rose and began to walk away. “I’ll tell Carter to give you a call.”

 

Zane remained where he was, watching her as she strode across the grassy park in her heels and dark suit. He had no idea what to do with the information she’d just given him. Sure, in another life they’d been together, but Lupo was right—he wasn’t the same guy, and she wasn’t the same woman he’d known a few months before.

 

And maybe they’d be terrible for each other; maybe they’d burn up and burn out, like a meteor falling through the atmosphere, but Zane’s scientific curiosity was piqued.

 

For now, however, Zane knew he’d have his hands full figuring out what Beverly had been up to, and for whom she’d been working. He had a chance to get a little of his own back, and he was going to take it.


	2. Truth and Consequences

**“When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.” ~Kahlil Gibran**

 

Jack had been running around so much the last couple of days that he had to pause outside the infirmary, just to remind himself of his ultimate goal. Allison was flying in on one of GD’s jets that afternoon, and he’d made sure that Kevin got off to school okay. Jenna was happy as a clam with the nanny.

 

That left Stark—no, _Nathan_ to see to—but at least Nathan had shown some improvement over the last couple of days.

 

Of course, Jack still had a meeting with Zane in an hour, to explain just what laws Zane needed to break, and which ones he still had to follow. And somehow, Jack had to avoid punching Zane in the face, because any way he looked at it, either Zoe or Jo was going to get hurt.

 

Jack paused. Maybe that meant he got to punch Zane no matter how this all turned out, and in that case, he could get on board.

 

Nathan was sitting up and looking a lot more alert than the last time Jack had seen him. One of the nurses was talking to him, and Nathan nodded, glancing past her to meet Jack’s eyes. His expression, when he caught sight of Jack, was a mix of complex emotions, though—pleasure, relief, wariness and pain.

 

“You’re looking better.” Jack stood next to Nathan’s bed and stuck his hands in his pockets. “How are you feeling?”

 

“About like you’d expect,” Nathan replied. He waited until they were mostly alone to continue. “How’s Allison?”

 

“She’ll be back today,” Jack assured him. “She’s coming here first thing.”

 

Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “You can relax, Jack. I’ve been gone two years. I’m not debating her choice.”

 

“Right.” Jack looked away, unable to tell Nathan that Allison’s choice was the problem. Jack couldn’t be certain that she’d choose him again, if she had to do it all over again, knowing that Nathan wasn’t dead.

 

“Jack.” Nathan grabbed his wrist. “I wanted you both to be happy more than anything else. I’ll deal with the current situation.”

 

Jack swallowed. The Stark he’d known wouldn’t have given up for any reason at all; _that_ Stark would have undermined Jack’s relationship with Allison any way he knew how, and he would have needled Jack about it every second.

 

At least, that’s what Jack would have assumed a few weeks ago, before he’d seen Nathan’s apparition. Jack had to wonder now how well he’d known Stark; he certainly didn’t know him now.

 

“Thanks,” Jack finally managed. “Allison’s going to talk to you about a place to stay, so you can get out of here. I’d, uh, offer my guest room, but Jo’s staying with me for another few days until her house is done, and…” Jack trailed off at Nathan’s perplexed expression. “Her house got blown up. It’s a long story.”

 

“Why am I not surprised?” Nathan asked.

 

“Because you’re way too used to Eureka?”

 

“Probably.” Nathan released Jack’s wrist, his skin with the warmth of Nathan’s hand gone. “As long as I can get out of the infirmary. It might surprise you to hear this, but it will be nice not to have other people around 24/7.”

 

Jack felt a smile tug at his lips. “Not a surprise, no.”

 

“Damn. I always did like to surprise you,” Nathan murmured.

 

Jack chuckled because he knew it was expected of him. He had a feeling that they wouldn’t be able to keep Nathan in the dark for long, not if Grace was right about how well Stark had known both him and Allison.

 

“So, uh, how is Zoe?” Nathan asked.

 

Jack blinked, surprised at the question. “Good. She’s kicking ass at Harvard and dating Zane here, which pretty much sucks, but, you know.”

 

“You want me to beat him up for you?” Nathan offered. “I have a feeling that might fit into the doctor’s recommendation to reconnect to the physical world.”

 

Jack laughed. “Yeah, that would probably do it.”

 

“You know how I feel about Zoe,” Nathan said.

 

Jack took a deep breath. He didn’t know, but he could fake it. “Yeah, I do. Thanks.”

 

Nathan grinned. “I’m sure I could probably get away with kicking the shit out of Zane where you can’t, being recently dead and all.”

 

“True.” Jack agreed. “Speaking of, I have a meeting with our resident delinquent. I just wanted to see how you were.”

 

“And let me know that I haven’t been forgotten?” Nathan asked knowingly. “Thanks.”

 

Jack nodded. “Yeah, sure. Of course.”

 

Nathan frowned. “Something wrong, Jack?”

 

Jack wanted to say that no, nothing was wrong other than the fact that Nathan was calling him by his given name, or that Nathan seemed sincere in wanting Jack’s happiness. Jack was glad that he’d checked with Grace first, that he had some idea of what Nathan had meant to him—and what he’d meant to Nathan.

 

“No,” he managed. “We’ll talk more when you get out of here, huh?”

 

“You’ve got work to do,” Nathan supplied. “I know.”

 

Jack nodded. “Thanks.” He took a moment to grip Nathan’s shoulder and squeeze. “See you soon.”

 

Jack left the infirmary, feeling as though the sword of Damocles hung over his head. Soon enough, Allison would be forced to choose between them, and Jack would lose. He always lost out to Nathan in the end.

 

History had been on Jack’s side against Grant; his longstanding friendship with Allison had given Jack the edge. In comparison to Nathan, though, Jack couldn’t help but feel as though he was second best in every way.

 

And this relationship with Allison was too new to trust that it would survive Nathan’s return—even if there were some small part of Jack that was happy to have Stark back.

 

~~~~~

 

Allison stepped off the Global Dynamics jet with a sense of trepidation. Jack had been oddly hesitant when he’d offered to meet her at the landing strip, as though he hadn’t been sure of his reception, and she looked for him now.

 

Jack stood at the edge of the tarmac, hands shoved in his pockets, appearing just as uncertain as Allison felt.

 

“Hey,” Jack said with a half-smile.

 

“Jack.” Allison made up her mind in that instant. She pulled his head down for a reassuring kiss. Jack’s hand cupped her face, his other hand resting on her hip. “I missed you.”

 

“I missed you, too.” His smile was a little surer now. “And I’m pretty sure that Kevin and Jenna missed you as well.”

 

Allison smiled. “I’m sure they did.” She tucked her arm through Jack’s. “Let’s get this out of the way—how is he?”

 

Jack didn’t pretend ignorance. “He’s okay. The doctors say he’s ready to be released, but they want to keep seeing him on a regular basis. Dr. Li has some recommendations on medications, but I’ll let you talk to her about that.”

 

“Jack.” Allison tugged on his arm. “Are you okay?”

 

His smile seemed forced. “I’m fine. I’m just—worried about you.”

 

Allison didn’t think that was what he’d intended to say. “I’m with _you_ , Jack. Nathan being back doesn’t change that—and besides, he’s not the same Nathan I’d planned on marrying.”

 

Jack looked away. “You talked with Henry.”

 

“And Grace,” Allison confirmed. “I don’t _know_ this version of Nathan, but I do know you. After everything we’ve been through together—”

 

“Yeah.” Jack said when she stopped. “I just—I know how you felt about him. Things might not be so cut and dried after you see him.”

 

Allison gripped his arm a little harder. “Seeing Nathan won’t change how I feel about you.”

 

“Talk to Nathan, and then…” Jack shook his head. “Tell me then, okay?”

 

Allison sighed and began to reply, but Jack spoke quickly. “When I told you how I felt, I was being honest.”

 

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

“When our exes showed up, when I was seeing St—Nathan.” He helped her into the car while the driver put her bags in the trunk. “I’ve been head over heels for you since the day we met,” Jack continued once they were seated in the back of the black SUV.  “But—I’ve always known that he had me beat.”

 

Jack’s earnest expression made her heart skip a beat as she realized what he meant. “Jack, it was never a competition.”

 

“I saw how he felt about you that night you were in GD with Kevin. You remember?”

 

Allison nodded. “Just before Nathan asked me to marry him.”

 

“Yeah. I gave up. He loved you, and…”

 

“And that man _died_.” Allison squeezed his hand. “I accepted that a long time ago. I’m with you now.”

 

Jack nodded, but he didn’t appear reassured. “He’s the better man, you know,” he gritted out, as though the words hurt him. It was typical Jack, she thought, thinking that he wasn’t good enough.

 

“No, he’s not,” Allison insisted. “You both have qualities…” She trailed off, wondering if part of their problem was that Jack had pursued her, and not the other way around. He viewed himself as second best, and Allison couldn’t think of anything to say that would reassure him.

 

She _had_ chosen Nathan over him two years before, and she didn’t regret that choice, but the ramifications were still haunting their relationship now.

 

“Talk to him,” Jack said quietly. “And talk to the doctors. Figure out where he’s going to stay, and then tell me tonight.”

 

Allison took a deep breath and leaned into him. “Okay. I will.”

 

~~~~~

 

Jo strode down the hallway, missing a step as Zane’s voice caught and held her. “Lupo! Hey, Jo!”

 

Jo slowed her steps. “What do you want, Donovan?”

 

“I’m meeting with Carter and Henry to let them know what I’ve found so far. I started poking around right after we talked the other day.” Zane kept his voice down, causing Jo to lean in a little closer. “But I didn’t want to say anything over the phone.”

 

Jo bit back a sigh. “Is Allison back?”

 

“Sheriff Carter was meeting her plane at the tarmac,” Zane replied. “I don’t think he expected me to have information for him so soon, and he only wanted to go over it once.”

 

Jo nodded. “Where?”

 

“Henry’s lab,” Zane replied. “We made sure it was clear of bugs.”

 

Jo gave him a cool, professional smile. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

 

Zane began to turn, then said over his shoulder, “I haven’t forgotten what we talked about, and I haven’t forgotten that kiss.”

 

“You’d better forget about it,” Jo hissed, grabbing him and pushing him against the wall, her temper getting the best of her. “You’re still dating Zoe, and if Carter finds out that you’re screwing around with her, your ass _will_ be grass, Donovan.”

 

Zane snorted. “Yeah.”

 

“Have you seen the sheriff freak out about Zoe before?” Jo asked, her voice low and vicious. “You wouldn’t last five seconds.”

 

His wince gratified her. “Good point.”

 

“Don’t hurt her, Zane.” Jo tried to make sure it was more of an order than a request and gave him a little shake. “She’s like a sister to me.”

 

“And you know where to hide the bodies.” Zane couldn’t quite manage to make it into a joke. “Got it.”

 

Jo gave him one last shake but didn’t bother responding before continuing her rounds of GD. She honestly had no idea what she was supposed to do about Zane; he seemed to be taking her revelations in stride, but he was still dating Zoe. She had better things to do than deal with whatever mind games he was playing.

 

She knew she’d romanticized their relationship; she worked to remind herself of all the bad aspects every single day.

 

It was harder than it should have been.

 

Jo finished making her rounds, and then headed to Henry’s lab. The door was closed and the lab was dark, but the door slid open when she stood in front of it.

 

“It’s coded to certain people,” Henry explained as the door slid shut behind her. “You’re one of them.”

 

Jo saw Henry and Grace leaning against one of the lab benches. Zane sat on one of the lab stools, while Fargo paced nervously in one corner. The door had no sooner slid closed than it opened again to admit Carter. “Sorry I’m late,” he said. “Allison’s in the infirmary, dealing with Stark. I’ll fill her in later.”

 

“What do you have for us, Zane?” Henry asked.

 

“I’m still trying to dig up some dirt on Mansfield,” Zane began. “I would have done it sooner, but there’s no way I can blackmail the guy. I don’t have the credibility.”

 

Carter rubbed his eyes. “I really didn’t want to hear that.”

 

“The point is that Mansfield doesn’t have _any_ dirt on him, and you don’t get to be a general without breaking a few eggs,” Zane continued, ignoring Carter. “I’m still digging. What I do have is more info on Beverly Barlowe.”

 

“Let’s hear it,” Carter said, sitting up a little straighter.

 

Zane grinned smugly. “You already know that Adam Barlowe was imprisoned for espionage.”

 

“Yes, we know,” Henry prompted.

 

“I got my hands on one of the old court records,” Zane said. “And it was hard to find, too, because it was a top secret military tribunal.”

 

Fargo gulped audibly. “I don’t like the sound of that.”

 

Zane shrugged. “We’re talking post-World War II, and just before McCarthy really got into power.”

 

“Go on, Zane,” Grace prompted.

 

Zane nodded. “The records indicate that Barlowe refused to say much, but what little they did get out of him indicated that he was working for an organization called the Trust.”

 

“Sounds ominous,” Jo observed, intrigued.

 

Zane shrugged. “Names are easy to come by. Figuring out the purpose behind those names is something else entirely.”

 

“So, what do you know?” Carter asked.

 

“The Trust is an organization bent on control of technology for the good of humanity.” Zane shrugged. “That’s the official line anyway. The truth is probably a little more convoluted. They say they’re trying to prevent cutting edge technology from being used solely for military gain, but it’s hard to say how much of that is true.”

 

Jo shared a look with Carter. “Probably about half of it. Anything else?” she asked.

 

“Still digging,” Zane assured them. “I’ll let you know when I have more info, but I thought I’d share what I’d learned so far.”

 

“It’s appreciated,” Henry assured him. “Just make sure you’ve covered your tracks.”

 

Zane offered a smirk. “Mine and yours. I gotta get back to work.”

 

Fargo snorted, causing Zane to glare as he passed. “We’ve got Mansfield coming next week, so we’d better get this figured out by then.”

 

“How are you going to explain Stark being back?” Carter asked.

 

Fargo shrugged. “I’ll figure something out. There’s actually a form for bringing someone back from the dead, so it’s just a matter of doing a little paperwork.”

 

“Oh, well, if it’s just that easy…” Carter muttered.

 

“I’ve already set up a house for Dr. Stark,” Fargo announced defensively. “I can’t give him his old job back, but Global Dynamics will always have a place for him. I don’t see what your problem is.”

 

Carter stared at him, his face going red. Jo knew that look; Carter was too pissed to speak. Grace made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, while Henry shook his head. Jo was close enough to punch Fargo on the arm, which she did. “Fargo,” she admonished.

 

“Okay, I know why,” Fargo said defensively. “But I brought him back. That’s _cool_. And you know how scary he is. Dr. Stark is probably the only person who has a chance at making Mansfield back down.”

 

“Or _you_ could make him back down,” Grace pointed out. “You _are_ the head of GD.”

 

Fargo shrugged off the praise, his expression uncomfortable. “Maybe. Do you think we should bring Dr. Stark in?”

 

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Carter admitted reluctantly. “According to Grace, he was close to me and Allison. He’s going to notice that something is weird.”

 

“And Fargo’s right,” Grace said with a nod. “He would be a help.”

 

“Assuming he’s not nuts,” Carter inserted. “The doctors were still sedating him as of yesterday.”

 

“I’m sure he’ll be fine once he gets his feet under him,” Henry said. “There’s going to be an adjustment period, but Nathan has always been one of the sanest people I know. There isn’t much that could shake his confidence, not while his intelligence is intact.”

 

Carter grimaced, which Jo easily interpreted as his, “this is encroaching on emotional territory I’m not ready deal with” face. “I’m aware, Henry.”

 

“I should get back to work, too,” Jo announced, partly as a way to get out of the situation, partly to give Carter an out if he wanted one.

 

“I need to check on the kids,” Carter said, rising to his feet, and accepting Grace’s hug with a slightly baffled expression. Grace whispered something in his ear, and Jo knew that it was probably reassuring because Carter had been her friend, as well as Henry’s, before they’d traveled back to the past and fucked everything up.

 

Jo followed Carter out of the lab, with Fargo staying behind to chat about something work-related with Henry and Grace. Jo muttered, “This is FUBAR, Carter.”

 

“I’m aware.” Carter sounded grim in a way he hadn’t in a long time, and Jo felt a pang of sympathy. “Look, just make sure that Zane breaks up with Zoe first, okay?”

 

The request was completely out of left field, and Jo gaped at him uncertainly. “What?”

 

“Zane and Zoe—I know it’s just a crush on her part, and I saw the way he looked at you.” Carter forged on, and Jo spared a moment to be impressed, because Carter usually avoided talking about anything remotely related to feelings. “Just—be careful. I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”

 

“I don’t want Zoe hurt either,” Jo managed. “And I’m not interested in Zane.” At his skeptical expression, she added, “Not really.”

 

“Uh huh.” Carter reached out and squeezed her shoulder tightly. “I’ll see you for dinner tonight, okay?”

 

“What about Allison?” she asked, unable to help herself.

 

“I’ll tell her we need guy time.” Carter offered that same crooked grin that Jo figured had probably hooked Allison in the end. Jo wished—and not for the first time—that she could have been attracted to him, and him to her.

 

It would have been completely against the rules, she thought, but it would have been easier in a lot of other ways.

 

“Thanks,” Jo managed after a moment.

 

Carter nodded, as though everything had been decided, and then he walked down the hallway. Jo watched him go and took a deep breath; Carter’s reminder had been timely. There had been a couple of moments where she’d forgotten that Zane was seeing Zoe, and she couldn’t afford slip-ups like that, not when everything was riding on the situation remaining copacetic.

 

Besides, Jo didn’t think her heart could take another blow, and Zane was a ladies’ man in this universe. She wasn’t interested in playing out another losing hand.

 

She’d take her friendships, and her new house, and she’d make do. She always had before.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan fought back the lump that had formed in his throat when Allison appeared. He’d caught a glimpse of Jack escorting her to the door of the infirmary, and he’d watched as she pulled Jack in for a quick kiss.

 

They looked good together; he’d always known they would.

 

Nathan wondered what might have happened if he hadn’t been so damn indecisive, if he’d been able to cease his pursuit of Allison to go after Jack wholeheartedly, or vice versa. Instead, he’d chased Allison to needle Jack, and then chased Jack because Nathan had found him attractive. And when Jack hadn’t given into his charms, Nathan had gone after Allison yet again.

 

When Jack had spilled the news that he had a daughter, Nathan hadn’t been too surprised. One wild night, with all their old passion, combined with a broken condom—well, it made sense.

 

And, while he and Allison had remained friendly after that night, Nathan had been debating his next move when he’d been faced with a choice—give up his life, or allow Jack to make the sacrifice. The decision had been easy—easier than it probably would have been if Nathan had known Allison was pregnant.

 

Nathan tracked Allison’s movements across the infirmary, able to see her from his hospital bed. She checked in with Dr. Li first and grabbed a tablet; knowing her, she had already pulled up his chart by remote access and was just giving herself a little time before approaching him directly.

 

When she walked up to his bed, Allison had a friendly smile plastered across her face, and uncertainty in her eyes. “Hi.”

 

He had to swallow twice to get past the dry mouth. “Hi.”

 

Another moment and she had her arms around him, clinging tight. “Hey, I’m okay,” he managed, even though it wasn’t the whole truth.

 

Even now, with the familiar scent of Allison’s perfume in his nose, a strand of her hair in his mouth, and the warm weight of her in his arms—Nathan expected to find that it was all a vivid hallucination. After two years in limbo, he knew that he was touch-starved and having a hard time discerning reality from fantasy.

 

Nathan just kept reminding himself that if this _were_ a fantasy, he’d have both Allison and Jack in his bed, and he certainly wouldn’t be spending time in the infirmary.

 

Allison pulled back after a long minute, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “You look good.”

 

“Apparently, being in stasis is good for the complexion,” he joked, letting her go reluctantly, wishing he could hang on a moment longer. “How are you?”

 

“I’m okay. I’m good,” she amended. “Jack told you about—”

 

“Everything,” he supplied. “About Jenna and you two. I’m—I’m glad. I am.”

 

“I assume—” She stopped. “Do you want to see her? You don’t have to, but I thought…”

 

“I’d like to meet her,” Nathan said gently. “And it would be good to see Kevin again, too. Has anyone told him yet?”

 

A strange expression flitted across her face, one he couldn’t read. Normally, Nathan could read Allie like a book, and he wondered how much she’d changed in the last two years to prevent him from deciphering her expression now.

 

“Jack told him,” Allison finally managed. “He had to, as much time as he was spending here.”

 

Nathan winced. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she said firmly, sounding a little more like her old self. “Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? I have a guest room you can use, and that way you can meet Jenna and say hello to Kevin. It will give you a little time to adjust.”

 

“How is Jack going to feel about that?” Nathan asked.

 

And maybe he _was_ jealous as hell at what they had, but Nathan wasn’t selfish enough to sabotage their relationship. He’d died to save the both of them; he could let them be happy.

 

“We’re okay.” Allison’s lips pressed together tightly the way they did when she didn’t know what to say. “Jack understands.”

 

Nathan gave her a dubious look, but he didn’t argue. He suspected that Jack didn’t understand, because Jack could be incredibly dense at the best of times, but that was especially true when it came to relationships. “If you’re sure.”

 

He couldn’t formulate a good reason _not_ to go, and he _did_ want to see Jenna and Kevin. Nathan hadn’t yet processed the idea that he was a father, and he hoped that seeing Jenna would help make it real.

 

Allison smiled at him. “Let me grab your clothes, and I’ll call Jack.”

 

She returned with the suit he’d been wearing the day he disappeared—and the day he’d come back—still wrapped in the biodegradable film they used at the dry cleaners. “I’m not sure who sent it in,” Allison began. “But it’s clean.”

 

“Thanks.” He stood up, still a little unsteady on his feet, grabbed the clothing, and ducked behind the privacy screen.

 

He could hear Allison on her cell phone; she spoke quietly, but Nathan could hear her side of the conversation. Two years of not hearing anything had sensitized him to sound, apparently.

 

“Are you sure?” Allison asked. “Jack—”

 

Nathan pulled his undershirt on over his head, the cloth momentarily muffling the sound. He could hear the protest in her voice, familiar and poignant, and he tugged the shirt into place, hearing, “—I’d like to see you sometime tonight.”

 

That was closer to an order, he thought, as he pulled up the pants, threading the belt through the loops slowly, his fingers clumsy and uncertain.

 

How was it that the simple act of getting dressed felt so unfamiliar? Maybe it had something to do with the relativity of time, since he felt as though he’d been gone for a lot longer than two years.

 

Allison’s voice registered again. “I understand. No, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” And then, “Okay. I’ll see you later. I love you.”

 

Nathan winced, feeling the weight behind those words, the deliberation she used. He glanced at the tie, looped over the hanger, and left it. He left his dress shirt open at the collar and the jacket off, just grateful to be wearing something other than scrubs.

 

Allison managed a smile when he emerged. “Better?”

 

Nathan nodded, and would have asked if she was okay when the infirmary doors burst open. “Dr. Blake!”

 

Allison rushed to the gurney, and Nathan caught sight of a young man in his 20’s, his face twisted in pain, holding onto a hand gushing blood from a couple of stumps where his fingers used to be.

 

“Okay, do you have the fingers?” Allison demanded. “Because we need to get them on ice _now_.” She glanced over her shoulder at Nathan. “I have to get this.”

 

“I’ll find Henry,” Nathan replied. “I’d like to see what Fargo’s done with the place.”

 

For a moment, Nathan thought she would refuse to let him go, that she would insist he stay where she could keep an eye on him, but she nodded. “Be careful.”

 

Nathan had been out of the infirmary only once since Fargo had brought him back, a trip cut short by a fucking panic attack of all things. Thankfully, no one had witnessed it, other than the nurse Dr. Li had assigned to shadow him, and Nathan had retreated back to his bed and a welcome sedative.

 

After that, the doctor had increased his medication—some new drug still in the trial phase at GD—and although Nathan’s anxiety ratcheted up a notch as he walked out, he managed to keep his breathing under control.

 

He ignored the stares and whispers as he walked down the hall while trying to project an aura of invincibility. He kept reminding himself that he’d been dead, or as good as, two days ago, and now he wasn’t.

 

Too bad he didn’t _feel_ invincible.

 

Henry’s lab was dark and empty when Nathan passed it, and he immediately turned towards Grace’s. If Henry was at GD, and he wasn’t in his lab, he’d be with Grace.

 

When he got there, Grace and Henry were reading something on a monitor, Henry’s arm around her waist. They turned as one when Nathan entered, twin smiles of welcome on their faces.

 

“Nathan.” Henry spoke first. “You’re looking much better than the last time I saw you.”

 

Nathan vaguely recalled Henry being at his bedside, but that was when he’d still been heavily sedated, when he’d panicked every time he closed his eyes for fear it had all been a dream, that he was still stuck in limbo.

 

“I feel better,” Nathan said honestly. “What are you working on?”

 

Henry and Grace exchanged a look that he couldn’t read. “Just looking at some data from a project Fargo asked Zane to work on.”

 

Nathan snorted. “You know, I can’t say I’m surprised that Mansfield tapped Fargo to take my place. He’d be the only qualified person Mansfield had a hope of controlling. I’d hoped he’d grow a set.”

 

“He got you back,” Henry pointed out. “I suspect he’s in the process.”

 

Nathan shrugged. “Good to know that he’s manning up.”

 

“How are you?” Grace asked, neatly changing the subject.

 

“I’m doing better than I was yesterday.” He knew how to evade questions, too. “So, you want to fill me in on what’s been going on with Jack?”

 

Henry’s eyes widened, and if Nathan hadn’t been looking for it, he might have missed how Grace gave Henry’s shoulder a squeeze. It looked like a warning to him. “Jack’s fine,” Henry hedged.

 

“He’s twitchy,” Nathan argued. “He’s been in the infirmary a lot, but he leaves almost as soon as I’m conscious.”

 

“His relationship with Allison is still fairly new,” Grace soothed. “He’s just cautious, is all.”

 

Nathan _knew_ Jack, and he knew that the sheriff could be skittish whenever real emotion was involved, but even that didn’t quite explain what Nathan had seen. “It’s more than that.”

 

“You’ll have to ask Jack,” Henry finally said, glancing at Grace again. “I don’t think it’s more than that, Nathan, but it’s not our story to tell.”

 

“How long have they been seeing each other?” Nathan pressed. “I don’t want to screw things up for them.”

 

“It’s a new relationship,” Grace said. “Just give them a little time.”

 

Nathan wanted to ask why it had taken Jack and Allison two years to make a move, but he suspected that was part of the story that wasn’t theirs to tell.

 

“So, what did I miss in the last two years?”

 

Henry smiled. “I thought you might ask. I put together a list for you. Let’s go back to my lab, and you can start catching up.”

 

Nathan nodded. “That sounds good.”

 

It would be a relief to have something else to concentrate on besides Jack and Allison and the panic that clawed the inside of his chest at random intervals.

 

~~~~~

 

When Lupo and Carter had asked him to take a look at the Trust, Zane had assumed that it would only take him a couple of days to get the information they needed. Saying that he was the best hacker on the planet wasn’t much of a stretch, but he’d only been able to find bits and pieces. Nothing was adding up.

 

Leaning back in his chair, Zane stretched, then scrubbed his face. He needed a refill on his coffee, and he needed another angle.

 

“Hey.”

 

Zane stiffened when he heard Zoe’s voice, and he plastered a smile on his face as he turned to greet her. “Hey there,” he replied.

 

Zoe’s expectant expression suggested that Zane was missing something. “Did you forget?” she asked, irritation evident in her tone.

 

“Forget what?” Zane was drawing a blank.

 

“We were going to get dinner at Café Diem,” she prompted.

 

Zane glanced at the clock and winced as he realized that the day had flown by, and he was no closer to his objective. “I can’t,” he said. “I’ve got a deadline, Zoe.”

 

Zoe snagged the second chair. “Maybe I can help?”

 

 _That_ would be a phenomenally bad idea, especially since, as far as Zane knew, Carter hadn’t told Zoe about the altered timeline, or the Trust.

 

Zane shook his head. “Sorry, Zo. Fargo has me working on something top secret.”

 

She laughed. “Come on, Zane. I’ve worked on high security projects in the past.”

 

“Sorry, I can’t.” He allowed his regret to show on his face. “I wish you could.”

 

“Okay, so I can’t work on the top secret parts.” Zoe spoke slowly. “But I can still help.”

 

Carter was going to _kill_ him if Zoe got involved, Zane reflected. “Not without your dad’s okay.”

 

“I’m 18, Zane.” Zoe was beginning to sound seriously pissed off now. “I don’t need my dad’s permission. What—does this have something to do with why you were arrested?”

 

He ran a hand through his hair, stalling for time. “Yeah, it does, and your dad doesn’t need another reason to come down on me. I’m sorry.”

 

“No, it’s okay. I know how my dad can be,” Zoe said quickly, her expression softening at his apology. “And I know that you have a deadline, but you have to eat sometime, right?”

 

Zane recognized a compromise when one was being offered. “Sure. I think I can take an hour to get dinner.”

 

He began shutting down his computer, wanting to be sure that what little information he’d gathered was inaccessible. He’d just finished when the door slid open and Lupo walked in, her heels clicking on the floor. “Zane, I—”

 

Zane glanced up at her, realizing that she’d stopped when she’d caught sight of Zoe. “I was just taking a dinner break, Lupo,” he said. “Can it wait?”

 

“Yes. Of course.” Lupo sounded constipated, her words stilted. “It’s not anything that can’t wait until tomorrow.”

 

“Do you want to get dinner with us, Jo?” As far as Zane could tell, the invitation was genuine, even if Zoe had offered more out of courtesy than a real desire to have company.

 

Jo shook her head, and her smile looked more like a grimace. “No, I’m meeting Carter for dinner and a beer. I think he could use the company.”

 

She left—escaped, was more like it—leaving Zoe to stare after her. “Okay, is it just me, or does Jo seem a little off?”

 

“When is Lupo not off?” Zane deflected.

 

Zoe smacked him on the arm. “I’m serious, Zane. She’s barely said two words to me since…” She trailed off, and Zane could see the dawning realization on Zoe’s face. “Do you think she’s mad that we’re dating? I mean, I know Dad isn’t happy about it, but—”

 

“Lupo hates my guts.” The lie came easily. “She’s probably worried about what dating me will do to your reputation.”

 

Zoe snorted. “Please. I was a juvenile delinquent.”

 

“And now you go to Harvard,” Zane pointed out. “Don’t worry about it. Lupo will come around.”

 

Zoe frowned thoughtfully. “I guess so.”

 

“Let’s go eat,” Zane said, slinging one arm across Zoe’s shoulders. “I think better on a full stomach anyway.”

 

He hoped, for his own sake—and for Zoe’s—that she’d leave well enough alone.


	3. Adjustments

**“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else, and for everything you gain, you lose something else.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson**

 

When Jo looked over at him, her eyes were glassy and slightly unfocused, the result of three beers on a mostly-empty stomach. “What are you doing here, Carter?”

 

“What are you talking about?” Jack asked.

 

“Why aren’t you at Allison’s, convincing her that she wants you and not Stark?”

 

Jack sighed. “Because you needed a dinner and a few beers, and it sucks to drink alone?” he suggested.

 

“And?” Jo prompted.

 

“And maybe I wanted to give Allison a chance to make up her mind,” Jack admitted. “I promised I would head over later.” He held up his single beer. “I still have to drive.”

 

“Zane was with Zoe when I went to see him,” Jo admitted. “This is impossible.”

 

“It’s not impossible. It just sucks ass.” Jo was one of the guys, which is why Jack had no problem saying that to her.

 

Jo chuckled, although the sound held little humor. “You’ve got that right. You know, I thought that maybe, if I told Zane the truth, he’d—he wouldn’t change. I didn’t expect that he’d change, but I thought he might look at me differently.”

 

“Jo…”

 

“I know it’s stupid.” Jo cut him off. “I know I’m _being_ stupid. It’s just—”

 

“You love him, and you can’t help wanting him to love you back.” Jack knew how Jo felt all too well.

 

Jo took another drink and leaned her head back against the couch. “Tell me something.”

 

Jack, feeling sympathetic and warm, promised recklessly, “Anything you want.”

 

“You ever think about what it would be like not to have to choose?”

 

Jack blinked uncertainly. “What do you mean?”

 

“You know, for Allison not to have to choose,” Jo amended.

 

“You mean to let her go?”

 

“That’s up to Allison,” Jo was quick to say. “I mean, have you ever thought about what it would be like if she could have both of you?”

 

Jack considered the question. “I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought of that solution,” he finally admitted. “Hell, I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought of Stark like that.”

 

“He’s hot,” Jo agreed. “I can’t blame you.”

 

“Sometimes I wondered if he was flirting with me,” Jack said. “There were a couple of times, you know?”

 

“Flirting or fighting?”

 

“Flip a coin,” Jack agreed. “I don’t know.”

 

“And now you’ve got a Stark who had a completely different relationship with you,” Jo put in.

 

“Not completely different,” Jack disagreed. “He’s still interested in Allison.”

 

“He was also interested in you,” Jo pointed out.

 

Jack snorted. “That’s before he got to know me.”

 

“So what are you really worried about?” Jo asked.

 

Jack frowned. “I thought we were talking about you.”

 

“We’re changing the subject,” Jo replied. “Come on, Carter.”

 

“What have I got to offer that Stark doesn’t have?” Jack asked. “He’s—”

 

“He’s a guy, Carter,” Jo replied. “He’s just a guy. It doesn’t matter how smart or hot he is—and you and Allison have been through a lot together.”

 

“You think so?”

 

“Don’t be a jerk,” Jo ordered. “Seriously. Allison will make her choice, and it’s going to be you. She doesn’t even _know_ this Stark.”

 

“I guess,” Jack agreed. He finished off the last of his beer. “I gotta go meet Allison. I promised her I’d be by before I checked in on Andy.”

 

“You spending the night at the station?” Jo asked.

 

“Depends on whether I get any calls before midnight,” Jack replied. “If I get a call, I’ll probably stay there.”

 

Jo raised her glass. “Good luck.”

 

“Yeah,” Jack murmured. “Thanks.”

 

He drove just below the speed limit on the way to Allison’s—not because he didn’t want to see her, but because he was a little concerned about what he’d find when he did arrive. Jack parked in front of her house and approached cautiously. He didn’t bother knocking; Allison had already told him not to bother, and if Jack was being honest with himself, he wanted to walk in unannounced.

 

He wanted to see what Allison was like around Nathan.

 

When Jack stepped inside, he closed the door softly behind him. Nathan was in the living room, sitting on the floor with Jenna. She was giggling, reaching out to pat Nathan’s beard. Allison stood in the entryway between the living room and the kitchen, a wistful expression on her face.

 

“Hey,” Jack said after a pause.

 

Allison glanced over at him, her eyes widening in surprise before she gave him a welcoming smile. “Jack.”

 

Her kiss didn’t seem any different than it had a few days before, when Nathan hadn’t been alive. Jack let his hands rest on her hips, smiling as she pulled back, reassured for the moment. “Hey,” he repeated. “Did you guys already eat?”

 

“A little while ago,” Allison replied. “Are you hungry?”

 

“I could eat if you’ve got leftovers.” Jack looked past her to Nathan, who appeared to be ignoring them in favor of paying attention to his daughter. “How is he?”

 

Allison shook her head. “I think he’s okay. Dinner went well, and Jenna seems to like him.”

 

“And Kevin?” Jack asked, lowering his voice.

 

Allison shook her head. “Kevin won’t come out of his room. I think he’s angry, but I don’t know how he felt about Nathan before, so I can’t…” She pressed a hand to her lips.

 

“Do you want me to talk to him?”

 

Allison hesitated, and then nodded. “Would you? I don’t know if it will do any good, but he seems to listen to you.”

 

“When he wants to,” Jack added with a self-deprecating smile. “We’ll see if he lets me in.”

 

Allison pulled his head down for another kiss. “Thank you.”

 

“Thank me when I manage to coax him out,” Jack replied. He approached Kevin’s room cautiously and knocked on the door. “Kevin? Can I come in?”

 

There was no immediate answer, and he knocked again. “I’m going to get something to eat, Kev. Want to keep me company?”

 

The door swung open slowly to reveal Kevin’s sullen expression. “Like I told Mom, I’m not hungry.”

 

“I can respect that,” Jack replied. “But it would be nice not to eat alone.”

 

“I don’t want to see him,” Kevin insisted.

 

Jack winced. “You know he’s had a rough time. Maybe you could be nice to him.”

 

“He’s going to ruin everything, just like he did when he—” Kevin looked away, his jaw tight, and Jack suddenly had no problem seeing below the angry exterior to the grief underneath.

 

Jack put his hands on Kevin’s shoulders. “Listen to me. Your mom and I—we’re okay. We’re going to figure this out. But ignoring Nathan isn’t going to make him go away. Trust me, if I thought that would work, I’d try it, too.”

 

That got a hint of a smile. “What did he ever do to you, anyway?” Jack asked gently.

 

“He died, just like my dad,” Kevin said bluntly.

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. “He saved my life, and the rest of the world.”

 

Kevin shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

 

“So, you want to get something to eat?”

 

“I guess.”

 

Kevin followed him to the kitchen where Allison was fixing up a couple of plates. “Smells good,” Jack said.

 

Jenna began fussing in the other room, and Nathan appeared a moment later with his daughter in his arms. “I think she needs her diaper changed,” he said apologetically.

 

Jack shared a smirk with Kevin. “Sounds like a job for her father,” Jack said.

 

Nathan shot him a dirty look. “I think I’m going to need some training.”

 

“I’ll give you some pointers,” Allison said, shooting Jack a warning look. “You two—eat your dinner.”

 

Jack could see the smile playing around the corners of Allison’s mouth, and he considered his job well done.

 

He grinned at Kevin, who grinned back.

 

“In for a penny, in for a pound,” Jack heard Nathan mutter, and Jack glanced up, meeting Nathan’s eyes.

 

The moment was electric; Jack felt the moment of connection to his bones.

 

In this universe, Jack had at least considered the idea of being with Nathan Stark. He _didn’t_ remember it, and he _couldn’t_ remember it, but he could _feel_ it. It was nuts, _he_ was nuts, for even thinking about it, but he couldn’t help watching Nathan as he left to change Jenna’s diaper.

 

Jack had a crazy idea, and it would probably never work, but he’d bring it up with Allison anyway. Maybe he had the solution to all their problems.

 

~~~~~

 

Allison knew that Jack hadn’t planned on making love to her, not with Nathan in the guest room and Kevin and Jenna in their bedrooms. Up until tonight, they had confined sex to Jack’s place, but tonight had been different.

 

She’d made her interest known, and Jack had reciprocated by pushing her up against the door of her bedroom, his hands desperate, insistent.

 

Allison felt Jack’s hands shove her skirt up around her waist, and his mouth was hard and bruising. Jack shoved his hand down her underwear, his thumb finding her clit, one finger penetrating her. Allison turned her head to muffle her gasp in his shoulder, biting down hard, reaching behind her to lock on the door.

 

Jack lifted her with one arm, and Allison wrapped her legs around his waist. Jack stumbled away from the door, and they both fell back onto the bed in a tangle of limbs.

 

A flurry of movement, and they had pulled off their clothing—Allison’s blouse and skirt, Jack’s uniform and undershirt. His belt thumped on the floor, and Jack muttered, “I’ll lock that up later,” against her skin.

 

“Whenever,” Allison replied, uncaring, knowing that the locked door would keep the kids out. Right now, she was too interested in Jack’s hands, in his mouth against hers, his fingers bringing her to a quick orgasm. Jack thrust into her quickly after that, his hips moving in a stuttering motion that pushed her over the edge again, and he came soon after.

 

Allison clutched him tightly, his skin sweaty and slick against her own. Jack buried his face in her hair, murmuring nonsense words and phrases that Allison couldn’t understand. She pressed her lips to his neck, hushing him gently.

 

Jack had been gentle, even sweet, up until tonight. His desperation and insistence had been a nice change, but Allison could tell that he was worried, even a little bit angry.

 

“You okay?” she finally asked.

 

“I don’t know,” Jack admitted softly. “I just don’t know.”

 

“I love you,” she told him. “I’m with _you_. There’s nothing that can change that.”

 

Jack rolled onto his back, pulling her with him so that she was sprawled over his body. “Thanks.”

 

“No thanks necessary.” She rested her chin on his shoulder. “Can you stay?”

 

“I need to check in with Andy,” Jack replied. “And I don’t think I want to get up early enough to avoid Kevin.”

 

She ran her hand through his hair. “I understand.” Jack opened his mouth, then closed it again, his brow furrowed in thought. “What is it, Jack?”

 

“Did you ever want to not have to make a choice?”

 

Allison took a moment to parse the question. “You mean—” She couldn’t quite believe what he was suggesting.

 

“I just—I want you to be happy.”

 

“I _am_ happy.”

 

“Yeah.” Jack was quiet for a moment. “I think we should tell him.”

 

“I think so, too,” she agreed. “Do you want me to do it?”

 

“I think it should be both of us. From what Grace said, he might take it better if it comes from both of us,” Jack replied.

 

“Okay. Tomorrow evening?”

 

Jack nodded. “Yeah, sounds good.” He pulled her head down for a kiss, and then rolled out of bed, pulling on the clothing he’d discarded haphazardly around the room.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Allison promised when Jack kissed her one last time. “I love you.” She would keep saying it until he believed her.

 

“I love you, too.”

 

Allison didn’t sleep much; Jack’s question echoed over and over again in her mind. She would be a liar if she said the idea didn’t appeal to her on a certain level. She still loved Nathan, and she loved Jack. Her decision hadn’t been a decision at all—this Nathan wasn’t the man she’d planned to marry, and she had already made a commitment to Jack.

 

And now Jack was putting the choice right back in her hands. The idea of having both of them was far more seductive than she wanted to admit.

 

When Allison did finally sleep, it was to dream of Jack and Nathan both, each of them standing next to her. “I’d do anything for you,” Jack said.

 

“I died for you,” Nathan countered.

 

In the end, she didn’t know how to choose between them.

 

When the alarm finally went off, Allison was grateful to escape from her dreams. She turned the alarm off and went to rouse Kevin, who grumbled but rolled out of bed at her insistence. Jenna was already awake, squealing when Allison entered the room, holding her arms up.

 

Allison smiled, the sheer joy her daughter gave her chasing away the last of Allison’s anxieties, at least for now. She’d just finished changing Jenna’s diaper when she heard a cough from the doorway.

 

She turned to see Nathan standing there, a tentative smile on his face. “Do you mind if I help?”

 

“I’m just finishing up here,” Allison replied. “But you can keep her occupied while I get her some clothes.”

 

Jenna could be trusted not to roll off the changing table, but she giggled when Nathan leaned over her. She reached up to stroke his beard, and Nathan brushed her curls back from her forehead. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, his tone gentler than Allison had heard him with anyone but Kevin in the past.

 

Jenna babbled something, and Nathan nodded and played along. “What else did you dream about?” he asked.

 

Allison smiled as she chose Jenna’s clothing for the day. “Can I?” Nathan asked as she approached with Jenna’s clothes.

 

“Sure,” she replied. “Of course.”

 

His movements were clumsy, but Jenna put up with it with good grace, laughing when he tickled her.

 

“She’s beautiful,” Nathan said, his tone reverent.

 

Since it was at least the third time Nathan had said as much, Allison just smiled indulgently. “You had a hand in it, too, you know.”

 

“I don’t feel like I did,” he replied in a low voice. “I just—I’m sorry.”

 

“Sorry for what?”

 

“That you had to do this by yourself.” Nathan glanced up with an apologetic smile. “I feel as though I should have been here.”

 

“There was a good reason you weren’t,” Allison said. “Are you ready for breakfast?”

 

“Will Jack be joining us?” Nathan asked, his tone deceptively light.

 

“He had to leave last night,” Allison replied. “Work, you know.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Nathan picked Jenna up and settled her on his hip. “Is there breakfast?” he asked hopefully.

 

“I think I can manage something.”

 

Allison was grateful when Kevin actually mumbled a good morning in their direction, barely looking up from his bowl of cereal. That was as much as she could expect from Kevin at this time of the day, and it was so normal, Allison just smiled.

 

“Scrambled eggs and toast okay?” she asked.

 

“Don’t go to the trouble,” Nathan replied.

 

“No trouble,” she assured him.

 

“I gotta go, Mom,” Kevin announced. “I’m going to Dre’s after school, okay?”

 

“Have fun, and be good,” Allison ordered, accepting Kevin’s quick peck on the cheek. She decided she could be satisfied with his offhand, “Later,” sent in Nathan’s direction.

 

“That was an improvement,” Nathan observed.

 

“That was normal for an early morning,” Allison corrected. “You were lucky to get a word out of him.”

 

Nathan settled Jenna in her high chair and buckled her in without being prompted. “I get the feeling he’s mad at me.”

 

“I think he’s worried.”

 

“I don’t want to interfere with your relationship with Jack,” Nathan said sincerely. “I want you to be happy.”

 

Allison offered a smile as she broke eggs into a bowl and beat them quickly with a little milk. “I know you do.”

 

“Are you?” he asked. “Are you happy?”

 

Allison focused on the eggs in the hot pan. “More than I’ve been since you—since it happened.”

 

Nathan nodded. “I’m glad.”

 

“I’ll take you by the house today,” Allison said, changing the subject. “But Jack and I would like to have dinner with you tonight, if that’s all right.”

 

Nathan appeared surprised. “Of course. Is there anything wrong?”

 

“Not at all,” Allison assured him. “We just wanted to talk.”

 

He nodded. “You know how full my schedule is right now.”

 

She smiled. “Not very?”

 

“Yeah.” Nathan looked off into the distance. “How bad has it been at Global, Allie?”

 

She thought about it as she dished up the eggs and pulled the bread out of the toaster. “Not bad,” she finally said.

 

“Mansfield tapped Fargo to head up Global,” Nathan observed. “I can only assume it’s because the general wanted the control he couldn’t get when I was in charge.”

 

“That’s probably an accurate assessment,” Allison agreed. “But Fargo is managing. Bringing you back certainly wasn’t on the list of approved projects.”

 

Nathan laughed. “No, I doubt it would be. If I know Mansfield, he probably held a party when he found out I was gone.”

 

“It’s possible.” Allison couldn’t hide a smile. “But if so, he was the only one celebrating, Nathan.”

 

“I doubt that, but thank you anyway,” Nathan replied.

 

They ate in companionable silence for a time, and Allison wondered if she should bring up what Nathan was going to do next, or whether it was too soon.

 

“I won’t be able to go back,” Nathan said, appearing to read her mind. “Mansfield wouldn’t stand for it.”

 

Allison sighed. “Maybe, but I don’t think we should worry about that right now. We—Jack and I—” She stopped. “We’ll talk about it this evening.”

 

“What happened?” Nathan asked, his voice low and intense.

 

Allison shook her head. “Tonight.”

 

Nathan nodded reluctantly, and the front door opening interrupted whatever else he might have said. Allison heard the nanny call out, “Dr. Blake?”

 

“We should get moving,” Allison said. “I still need to catch up with everything that’s been going on at work.”

 

“Of course. I don’t want to keep you.” Nathan’s voice was smooth, but his eyes were a little lost, and the desire to protect him welled up in her. She had loved this man—she _still_ loved him—and she began to understand why Jack had made his offer.

 

As time went by, Allison suspected that it would become harder to keep her distance, not easier.

 

“Nathan.” Allison touched his cheek. “We’re going to work this out.”

 

His hand came up to cover hers. “I hope so.”

 

He didn’t sound convinced, and Allison wasn’t entirely certain either.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo stuck her head inside Zane’s small office. “You wanted to see me?”

 

“I did,” Zane replied. “Have a seat, and I’ll show you what I’ve got.”

 

“Shouldn’t we have everyone together?” Jo asked.

 

“I wanted to see you,” Zane replied.

 

Jo glared at him. “I don’t have the patience to deal with you right now,” she warned him. “So, let’s hear it.”

 

“First of all, no new information about the Trust,” Zane began. “I’ve got a program running now to mine data from a variety of places. I should have more later.”

 

Jo crossed her arms. “I don’t understand why you called me down here if that’s all you had.”

 

“I’ve also been looking for dirt on Mansfield,” Zane continued as though Jo hadn’t said anything. “He’s been careful to cover his tracks, but I’ve found a couple of large purchases that don’t quite fit within his salary—nothing huge, nothing that would alarm the IRS, but he’s got a time share in Hawaii, and a boat in New England.”

 

Jo shrugged. “Generals make pretty good money, Zane.”

 

“They do,” he agreed. “But there’s good money, and then there’s ridiculously good money.”

 

“Get to the point.”

 

“He’s accounted for all of his money,” Zane said, calling up a spreadsheet on the smart board in his office. “The money to get to and from Hawaii a couple of times per year, the money for the upkeep of his boat—all of it is from his regular salary.”

 

“But the time share and the boat itself—”

 

“Technically, they’re gifts,” Zane confirmed. “The person or organization who gave him the boat and the time share could withdraw them at any time.”

 

“Do you know who gave them to him?”

 

“Two different companies,” Zane said, highlighting a couple of rows. “They’re defense contractors, though, and they have a vested interest in making sure that Eureka fails in these specific areas—wetware and information mining.”

 

Jo frowned. “Mansfield wants us to fail.”

 

“He’s hoping for it, so that he can pass off certain contracts,” Zane replied. “That would explain the moving deadlines and unrealistic expectations.”

 

“It would,” Jo agreed. “Do you have hard proof? Something we could take to the Joint Chiefs if we need it?”

 

Zane nodded. “I’ve got enough dirt on him to keep him under control.”

 

“Good.” Jo took a deep breath. “Keep digging. Anything you can get on either Mansfield or the Trust would be good. What about Stark? Who knows he’s back?”

 

“The paperwork hasn’t gone through yet,” Zane replied. “I can bury it if you want.”

 

“Do that,” Jo ordered. “Bury it as deep as you can. I think I’d like to keep Stark’s return as quiet as possible for as long as possible.”

 

“I can put him back on the payroll easily enough,” Zane said. “I’ll disguise his file as a new hire, and no one will know the difference.”

 

“Are you sure?” Jo asked. “I don’t want this coming back to bite me in the ass.”

 

Zane smirked. “Look, there’s a good chance this is going to come back and bite _everybody_ in the ass. I’m doing what I can to prevent anybody from getting screwed, but I can’t make promises.”

 

Jo smacked him upside the back of the head; it felt really good. “Lives are at stake here, Zane. Be sure.”

 

He winced. “I’m aware, I’ll do everything I can, Lupo. Promise.”

 

“Good.” Jo turned to go, and Zane grabbed her arm. “Let go.”

 

“We’re in this together, right?” Zane asked.

 

“I’m not sure I like your definition of ‘together,’” Jo replied. “Deal with it, Zane.”

 

Jo strode out of his office, not interested in anything else he had to say. She hadn’t expected anything to change—she certainly hadn’t expected Zane to change—but she’d still hoped that he would break up with Zoe, that they would find some middle ground.

 

Her cell phone rang, and Fargo’s voice came over the line. “We’ve got some trouble at one of the off site labs. I’ve already called Sheriff Carter, and he’s going to meet you there.”

 

Jo didn’t like the sound of that. “Whose lab, Fargo?”

 

“Dr. Bradley’s,” Fargo replied, and Jo recognized the name of Taggart’s replacement. He’d been working on genetic alternations. “One of his wolf crossbreeds is on the loose.”

 

“Great,” Jo griped. “I’ll meet Carter out there, and we’ll take care of it, Fargo.”

 

“Be careful.”

 

The real concern in his voice shocked Jo into silence, and the dial tone came through before she could formulate a response.

 

She changed into what she thought of as her battle gear before she left—black cargo pants, black t-shirt, tac-vest, and a host of weapons secreted on her person.

 

Her Subaru’s engine roared responsively, and Jo pushed the speed limit as she headed out to the north edge of town. Bradley’s lab was inside the city limits, but just barely. The last security report Jo had received from him had mentioned a wolf hybrid that could track and hunt down fugitives and other specific targets.

 

Jo pulled to a stop next to Carter’s Jeep, and climbed out. Carter was waiting for her next to his Jeep, checking a shotgun, his face uncharacteristically serious. “We’re going to have to find it and kill it. I already sent Bradley back to the GD infirmary.”

 

“How badly was Bradley hurt?” Jo asked.

 

Carter shook his head. “The doctors don’t know if he’ll make it.”

 

“Damn,” Jo said succinctly. “Zane said he got some dirt on Mansfield; the general wants to turn some of our contracts over to various defense contractors. They’re giving him kickbacks under the table.”

 

Carter sighed. “I wish I could say I’m surprised. All right, let’s get this done.”

 

Bradley had at least managed to implant a tracking device in his hybrid, and Jack tucked his shotgun under his right arm while he held the monitor in his left. They both moved as quietly as they could through the trees, Carter changing direction when necessary to follow the quiet beeping of the tracker. Jo focused most of her attention on the hunt, but thoughts of Zane intruded.

 

He’d looked tired earlier; she’d wanted to tell him to take a break, but that wasn’t her place any longer.

 

Besides, it seemed like Zoe was doing a great job of looking after Zane the day before.

 

“We’re going to tell Nathan tonight.”

 

The comment came out of the blue, and Jo frowned. “About what?”

 

“The whole back to the future thing.” Carter kept his eyes straight ahead.

 

“How is he?”

 

Carter headed a little to the west. “Different, quieter. He’s had a couple of panic attacks.”

 

“I’ve felt like having a couple of panic attacks,” Jo muttered.

 

“That would make three of us.”

 

“Are you going to tell Zoe?” Jo asked. “If she’s staying in town…”

 

Carter shook his head. “It’s semester break. She’ll be back at Harvard soon. If something happens, or if Mansfield finds out, I don’t want her involved.”

 

“I’m pretty sure she’s already involved. She’s your daughter.” The pinging intensified, and Jo brought her rifle up to bear. “I hope Bradley doesn’t mind too much when I kill his science project.”

 

“Assuming he survives, I think he’ll get over it.” Carter brought his own weapon up as the underbrush began to move.

 

Jo took aim and fired as the wolf rocketed out of the bushes, heading straight for them. Jo’s first shot missed—she hadn’t been prepared for how quickly it moved—but her second shot hit the creature center mass. It should have gone down then, but it tackled Carter in a blur of grayish fur and teeth, snarling loudly.

 

“Dammit!” Jo swore. “Carter—”

 

She heard the sound of a shotgun blast, and the beast lay still, collapsed on top of Carter.

 

“Are you hurt?” she demanded as she dragged the wolf off of him with a grunt.

 

“Got my left shoulder pretty good,” Carter admitted, sitting up slowly. “Andy was right. I should have brought him along, too.”

 

“Why didn’t you?” Relief made her tone sharp.

 

“Because someone had to keep going over anomalous energy readings, and my eyes were tired,” Carter groaned, clambering to his feet with Jo’s help. “Fuck, that hurts.”

 

“Let’s get you back to the car. I’ve got some first aid stuff in the trunk, and then we’ll get you to GD.”

 

“I don’t think it’s bleeding too badly,” Jack protested, although his pallor and the sweat beading on his forehead suggested that he was injured worse than he wanted to let on.

 

Jo put an arm around his waist, taking most of his weight. “We’re going to the infirmary anyway.”

 

“Yeah, figured,” Jack managed, limping along next to her.

 

Jo frowned. “Where else are you hurt, Jack?”

 

“Twisted my knee a bit going down.”

 

“Dammit, Carter. I’m calling Andy.”

 

“Andy can’t do anything.”

 

“He can help me carry your sorry ass.” Jo fumbled for her phone and hit number 3 on the speed dial.

 

“Deputy Andy here,” the AI said cheerfully after the second ring. “How may I be of assistance?”

 

“Andy, we were chasing Bradley’s wolf hybrid, and it took a chunk out of Carter. Can you get a lock on our position and get us transpo out?”

 

“Unlikely, Jo,” Andy replied. “According to the GPS, there are no roads, and no way to get a chopper in to you at your current location.” There was a pause, and Jo recognized it as Andy allowing his processors to work. “But I can get an ATV in, ETA 30 minutes, give or take.”

 

“We’ll keep hiking, Andy,” Jo replied. “Track our position and meet us as soon as you can. Someone is going to have to pick up the body of the hybrid anyway.”

 

“You got it, Jo.”

 

She tucked her phone back in her pocket and shifted to get a better grip on Carter. “It’s going to take Andy too long to get here.”

 

“I could have told you that,” Carter muttered, his words a little indistinct.

 

Jo resisted the urge to use some of the curses she’d learned in the Special Forces. “Carter, you have to stay with me.”

 

“I’m with you.”

 

“Keep talking to me,” Jo ordered. “Tell me about Stark.”

 

“Nothing to tell.” Carter grunted as she pulled him along. “Allison is still in love with him.”

 

Jo snorted. “She tell you that?”

 

“I could see it in her face.” Carter breathed in and out, the sound harsh in the still air. “When I walked in last night, Nathan was with Jenna, and Allison was watching them.”

 

“If you’re thinking that they could be the perfect little family, stop it now.” Jo helped him around a fallen tree. “Seriously, Carter, don’t over think this. If Allison says she wants to be with you, take her at her word.”

 

“I know.” Carter was panting hard now. “I think I’m going to pass out.”

 

“No, you’re not,” Jo snapped. “Stay with me.”

 

“Trying. Can we rest for a minute?”

 

She didn’t want to stop; Jo didn’t think she’d be able to get him moving again, but Carter’s legs went out from under him, and he went down hard.

 

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Sorry, Jo.”

 

“Shut up,” she replied fiercely, stripping off her tac vest, wishing that she’d thought to stash some first aid supplies in the pockets. “I need your shirt, Carter.”

 

“Always knew you wanted to get me naked,” Carter said with a weak smile.

 

Jo didn’t reply. She just unbuttoned his uniform shirt and gently pulled it off. With some of the cloth out of the way, she could see Carter’s wounds clearly. “This is bad.”

 

“Someone let the dog out,” Carter replied.

 

“What?”

 

“The wolf—someone let it out,” Carter said. “I looked at Bradley’s lab. It was off-site, so it was better secured than it would have been in GD. Someone let it out.”

 

Jo pressed harder on the wound. “And you’re just telling me this now?”

 

“You’ll need to know, in case I’m out of commission.”

 

“Don’t say things like that.”

 

“I don’t know how long I’m going to be out of it,” Carter insisted. “Listen to me.”

 

“I’m listening. I don’t have to like it, but I’m listening.”

 

“Get Andy to look into it,” Carter said. “He’s got the forensic analysis software.”

 

“You finally accepting the fact that you’ve got an AI for a deputy?” Jo asked.

 

“I like AIs,” Carter replied defensively. “I have a smart house.”

 

Jo snorted. “You were still pissed at Andy for almost taking your job.”

 

“He’s a good deputy,” Jack replied. “He’s a good guy.”

 

“AI.”

 

“Whatever.”

 

The silence stretched out between them, broken only by Carter’s shallow breaths. Jo kept putting pressure on the wound, wishing that Andy would just _get there_ already, and relief flooded her when she heard the high whine of an ATV engine.

 

Andy pulled up next to them. “I got here as soon as I could,” Andy said. “Do you want to take Sheriff Carter to the infirmary, or would you rather I take care of Dr. Bradley’s experiment?”

 

“Take care of the animal, and go over Bradley’s lab,” Jo ordered. “I’ll take Carter to the infirmary.”

 

“You got it,” Andy replied.

 

Jo climbed on the ATV and let Andy get Carter situated behind her. “Hang on, Sheriff Carter,” Andy advised. “Jo will get you to the infirmary safe and sound.”

 

“Sure,” Carter agreed, sounding a little out of it. “I’ll hang on tight.”

 

Jo felt Carter’s arm snug around her waist, and she gunned the engine, racing back towards town.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan hadn’t slept well in Allison’s guest bedroom. He hadn’t wanted to take any of the sleep meds the doctors had sent home with him, and he’d tossed and turned for most of the night. He’d been relieved to go to the house Fargo had set aside for him, and Nathan hadn’t been surprised to discover that Fargo had arranged everything.

 

The house was furnished, his preferred toiletry items were in the bathroom, and a few changes of clothes hung in the closet.

 

Nathan smiled as he pulled a pair of khakis and a polo shirt off their hangers, heading into the bathroom to shower and change.

 

The hot water sluicing his body felt good, the sting of the spray grounding him in the here and now. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment about how he would have preferred his return to go. Would he have wanted Jack or Allison to wait for him? For both of them to wait?

 

Had he been honest when he’d told Allison he was happy for them?

 

He stayed in the shower until the water ran cold, and then shut it off with a vicious twist of his wrist. Everything in his new place was perfect—the towels were large and fluffy, the clothing fit perfectly, and the tablet and phone sitting on the kitchen counter were already set up.

 

But it wasn’t home; _his_ home had been boxed up two years ago. He hadn’t asked what Allison and Jack had done with his things, but he had to assume they were gone, given to charity, recycled, or taken to the dump.

 

Nathan accessed the documents that Henry had put together for him, the key articles published in his fields in the last two years, a rundown of all the people who had left Eureka, and background on new employees. Information was power, and Nathan was feeling particularly vulnerable at the moment. He would use every advantage that he could get.

 

When his phone rang some hours later, he picked it up absently. “Stark.”

 

“Nathan? I’m afraid dinner is going to have to wait. Jack’s been hurt.” Allison’s voice was immediately recognizable.

 

The panic washed through his system. “How badly, and where is he?”

 

“He’s in the GD infirmary right now,” Allison replied. “I’ll send him home tomorrow, but he’s in no shape to have dinner tonight, and this has put me even further behind.”

 

“Do you want me to stay with the kids?” he offered. Nathan knew that Kevin wasn’t his biggest fan at the moment, and Jenna didn’t know him, but it was the same offer he would have made two years ago.

 

“The nanny’s got them,” Allison replied sounding distracted.

 

“Then maybe I should come up to GD,” Nathan suggested. “I don’t mind, and I wanted to discuss something with Henry anyway.”

 

Allison hesitated, and then agreed. “I’m still catching up from being out of town,” she admitted. “And everyone else is busy.”

 

“I’m not doing anything else,” Nathan replied.

 

“I’ll send a car,” Allison promised.

 

Nathan was a little surprised when a car with the sheriff’s emblem pulled up in front of the house. The man who climbed out of the vehicle looked a little—off. His smile was a little too fixed, his posture a little too stiff. “I’m Deputy Andy,” he said, holding out a hand for Nathan to shake. “The latest in law enforcement assistive technology.”

 

“An AI,” Nathan guessed.

 

“Level 6,” the deputy agreed, sounding inordinately proud of the fact. “May I offer you a ride up to Global Dynamics?”

 

“I’d appreciate it.”

 

“It’s my pleasure to serve.”

 

Nathan could think of several different ways to respond, but he settled for a smile. “Thank you.”

 

Andy followed the traffic laws to the letter, never going above the posted speed limits, making Nathan’s hands curl into fists with tension. He wanted to see for himself that Jack was okay, and in one piece, and he wanted to get to GD as soon as possible.

 

With an offhand “thank you,” Nathan got out of the car, striding through the hallways of GD, ignoring the stares and greetings he received. The infirmary doors slid open at his approach, and Nathan spotted Jack immediately, making a beeline for his bed.

 

Jo stood on one side, her hand on an unbandaged shoulder. “So, I’ll see you later, Carter?”

 

“Sure.” Jack’s grin was a little goofier than usual. “Thanks for getting me back in one piece, Jo.”

 

“Any time, Carter,” she said, glancing up at Nathan. “Allison should be here shortly. You going to sit with him?”

 

“I’ll stay,” Nathan confirmed. He took Jo’s spot, noting the bandages on Jack’s left shoulder, and he reached for Jack’s good hand without thinking. Gripping tightly, Nathan asked, “How are you feeling?”

 

“Gnawed on,” Jack replied, holding on tightly. “Weren’t we supposed to have dinner tonight?”

 

“Yeah, so Allie said. I don’t think it’s going to happen now.”

 

“Did someone call Zoe?” Jack asked, sounding anxious.

 

“I will, if no one else has,” Nathan promised. “Don’t worry about it, Jack. You want to tell me what happened?”

 

“Got gnawed on by one of Bradley’s hybrids.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I think someone let it out.”

 

“Why?” Nathan asked.

 

Jack shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe he wanted me out of the way.”

 

“Who?”

 

“Dunno. They’re looking into it.”

 

Nathan knew he probably shouldn’t press for information; Jack on pain meds tended to talk a lot more than he normally would. “What did you want to talk to me about, Jack?”

 

“We went back in time,” Jack whispered loudly. “And Dr. Old Spice tried to strand me there. We—he—changed everything.”

 

Nathan tried to sort out how much of what Jack had said was the drugs talking, and how much was the truth. “What do you mean?”

 

“You were supposed to hate me,” Jack replied. “And I was supposed to hate you. You were supposed to marry Allison.”

 

“We had been married,” Nathan objected. “We got divorced.”

 

“You were supposed to get married again.” Jack frowned. “I don’t think I’m supposed to tell you this.”

 

“You were going to tell me anyway, remember?” Nathan soothed. “It’s okay.”

 

“We need you,” Jack murmured, his eyes drifting shut. “Couldn’t not tell you.”

 

Nathan hesitated and then brushed a hand over Jack’s forehead. “Thanks, Jack. For telling me. I’ll be around.”

 

“Check on Zoe,” Jack insisted.

 

“Will do,” Nathan promised. “Sleep now.”

 

“Don’t tell Allison,” Jack whispered. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you without her.”

 

“She’s around here somewhere,” Nathan said. “Sleep.”

 

He sat there for a long time, one hand clasping Jack’s, the other playing with Jack’s hair.

 

“Hey.” Nathan glanced up to see Allison staring down at him, Zoe standing just behind her. “How is he?”

 

“Sleeping,” Nathan replied. “Hey, Zo.”

 

“Nathan.” She hugged him hard. “It’s good to see you again.”

 

“You too, kid. How are you?”

 

“Back from Harvard for winter break,” Zoe replied, her eyes going back to Jack. “Is he going to be okay?”

 

“He’ll be fine. He has some bad lacerations on his shoulder, and he twisted his knee, but he’ll survive.” Allison smiled at Zoe. “Don’t worry about him.”

 

Nathan moved aside to let Zoe take his place and grabbed Allison’s elbow. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

Allison let him pull her away, her expression wary. “What is it, Nathan?”

 

“You went back to the past?” Nathan asked in a whisper. “That’s what you wanted to tell me?”

 

She sighed. “We were supposed to talk with you together.”

 

“You know how he gets on morphine,” Nathan replied. “I just asked a couple of questions.”

 

“Nathan!”

 

“I had to know!” he whispered harshly. “I was curious.”

 

“Nathan.” This time Allison’s tone was affectionate. “Come into my office. I don’t want to have this conversation out in the open.”

 

Nathan followed Allison to her office and settled in one of the spare chairs. “Let’s hear it, Allie.”

 

“We went back to 1947,” Allison admitted. “And before you ask, we don’t know why. Henry would have a better idea than I would. We did our best not to change anything, but Dr. Grant—”

 

“Trevor Grant?” Nathan asked. “One of Einstein’s cohorts, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances?”

 

“Yes, that would be the one,” Allison replied, her tone rueful. “He switched jackets with Jack. It was sheer luck that Jack came back with me.”

 

Nathan blinked, slowly processing the implications. “So, everything I remember—everything about you two—none of that happened for you?”

 

Allison sighed. “To give you some idea, Kevin was autistic in that other timeline. We came here to find out he was a normal kid.”

 

Nathan scrubbed his hands over his face, his mind racing. “If anyone finds out, you’ll be sanctioned. You, Jack, and—”

 

“Jo, Henry, and Fargo,” Allison confirmed. “We’ve kept it quiet. Zane knows, because we needed his help investigating Mansfield and the Trust.”

 

“The Trust?” Nathan queried.

 

“An organization that employed Beverly Barlowe to steal a GD device and send Dr. Grant back to 1947.”

 

Nathan blinked. “Wait, what?”

 

“This is why I wanted both of us to talk to you at the same time,” Allison replied wearily. “Nathan, can you just trust me? We _were_ planning to fill you in, but right now, I have half a dozen things that need doing.”

 

“Do you mind if I talk to Henry?” Nathan asked.

 

“Feel free.” Allison rose from behind her desk. “I should finish my rounds. I have a few other patients to see.”

 

Nathan nodded. “You mind if I stay here a minute?”

 

She pressed a hand to his shoulder. “Take all the time you need.”

 

~~~~~

 

“Pay dirt!” Zane exclaimed. “It’s about time.”

 

He’d finally found a paper written by a Doctor Trevor Grant, dated December 1946, calling for action by the scientific community to preserve and protect scientific discoveries. Grant was anti-military, and anti-war, and he proposed keeping cutting edge technology out of the hands of the military and keeping it for the public good.

 

Grant suggested that a trust be created to do just that.

 

“And that’s where the Trust comes from,” Zane murmured. “I’ve got you now.”

 

With the manifesto, Zane could be a little more specific with the key phrases that he programmed into a data-mining program—of his own creation, naturally. At the same time, he would try to get a list together of anyone who had spent a significant amount of time on the site that had reprinted the thesis. Most of the people would probably be crackpots, but Zane wasn’t about to leave a stone unturned.

 

There were people whose lives depended on what he could find, and Zane felt the pressure.

 

He set up the programs to run independently and double-checked his security settings. He didn’t have to be there while it ran, so Zane set up an alert to automatically call his phone when it was done.

 

Zane called Fargo as he headed for Henry’s lab. “I’ve got something. I’m heading to see Henry now.”

 

“I’ll meet you down there,” Fargo replied, sounding harried. “Give me ten minutes.”

 

“Will do,” Zane promised.

 

Henry was working solo in his lab when Zane entered. “Zane, what’s the good news?”

 

“I have a solid lead on the Trust,” Zane replied. “I called Fargo, and he’s heading down. Should I call Carter, too?”

 

“He’s in the infirmary. Bradley’s hybrid tore up his shoulder.”

 

Zane winced. “Well, that sucks.”

 

“Henry?” Stark called. “Do you have a minute?” He paused when he saw Zane. “I don’t want to interrupt.”

 

“Come in, Nathan,” Henry said. “Allison just called.”

 

Stark shoved his hands in his pockets, his expression uncertain. He glanced at Zane. “Is it okay?”

 

“We’re secure in here,” Zane assured him. “Did they tell you?”

 

“Jack told me some,” Stark confirmed. “He’s pretty loopy. Allison confirmed it, though. What are we doing to make sure Mansfield doesn’t take the opportunity to sanction all of you?”

 

“I’ve found some dirt on Mansfield,” Zane replied. “I’m still working on digging up more info on the Trust. Once Fargo gets here, I’ll fill everybody in.”

 

Stark frowned and rubbed his beard. “Not to be an alarmist, but I’d like to be sure that Mansfield doesn’t sanction me.”

 

“There’s no reason for him to do that,” Henry objected.

 

Zane cleared his throat. “Actually, Dr. Stark was unmoored in space and time. It’s possible that Mansfield will use that as an excuse. Mansfield _really_ doesn’t like him.”

 

“What did you do?” Henry asked.

 

“I wouldn’t let him run GD,” Stark replied. “I was hanging onto my position by my fingernails when—” He sighed. “Let’s just say I’m not surprised by this particular turn of events.”

 

Fargo bustled into the lab, stopping short when he saw Stark. “Dr. Stark! Are you feeling better? How’s the house?”

 

“The house is fine, Fargo,” Stark replied. “And I’ll be a lot better with something to keep me busy. I want Jack and Allison safe, and I want a couple of backup plans in case blackmail doesn’t work.”

 

Zane smirked, remembering what a terror Stark could be when he wanted. From the way Henry and Fargo were looking at each other, their Dr. Stark had been the same way.

 

“Then let’s get to work,” Fargo said, rubbing his hands together.


	4. A Complicated Solution

**“After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul's indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer.” ~William R. Alger**

 

Jack stared at the pile of clothing Zoe had brought him from home. The pants were easy enough; he pulled those on under his hospital gown. But when he pulled the robe off, he was faced with the blue t-shirt.

 

Moving his left arm at all meant agony, which meant that Jack wasn’t in a hurry to get dressed. He probably should have specified exactly what sort of clothing Zoe should bring him—Jack wouldn’t be wearing anything but button-down shirts for a while.

 

And, while he could ask Allison to help him, Jack suspected it would only mean another night spent in the infirmary, and more pain medications. He was adamantly opposed to both.

 

“Jack?” Nathan poked his head around the privacy screen. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine.” Jack tried to ignore the fact that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The question he’d asked Allison echoed in his head—what if she didn’t have to choose? What if none of them did?

 

Nathan snorted, ignoring Jack’s assertion. “Yeah, you’re fine. You just don’t want to stay in the infirmary another night.”

 

Jack sighed. “Okay, I don’t want to stay here. Sorry about yesterday, by the way. We wanted to do that differently.”

 

“I knew what I was getting into when I questioned you,” Nathan admitted, stepping into the partitioned area. “I know how you are on pain meds.”

 

“Yeah.” Jack turned his attention back to the t-shirt, surprised when Nathan snatched it off the bed “What—”

 

“Deal with it,” Nathan advised him. “Here.”

 

Jack subsided and allowed Nathan to ease the t-shirt over the bandages on his arm, and then over his head, moving carefully to avoid tugging at the gauze.

 

“Thanks,” Jack said as Nathan smoothed the t-shirt into place. “Thanks,” he repeated.

 

“Any time.” Nathan took a step back, his expression tentative. “Do you need a ride?”

 

Jack frowned. “I didn’t think you were driving yet.”

 

“It’s one of the GD fleet vehicles,” Nathan replied. “Fargo arranged it. I think he’s enjoying thumbing his nose at Mansfield by providing me with everything I need.”

 

Jack hitched his good shoulder in an approximation of a shrug. “He’s glad to have you back.” Hesitating for a moment, Jack added, “We all are.”

 

Nathan’s face softened. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

 

“I want to stop by Jo’s office on the way out,” Jack said.

 

Nathan shook his head. “Jo can come see you here. You shouldn’t be on that knee any more than you have to.”

 

“Nathan—”

 

“I’m under orders from Allison,” Nathan reminded him. “And I’m not about to piss her off.”

 

Jack sighed. “Fine. I’ll call Jo.”

 

Jo immediately agreed to meet Jack in the infirmary, and Nathan shifted uncomfortably. “Maybe I should come back.”

 

“Stay,” Jack replied impulsively. “You’ll probably hear about it later anyway.”

 

Nathan settled on the bed next to Jack, their shoulders just brushing. With a pang, Jack realized that he hadn’t asked Nathan how _he_ was doing. “How are you holding up?” he asked, hoping Nathan could hear the apology in his voice.

 

Jack still felt guilty that Nathan had been the one to die, and Jack felt guilty about how relieved he’d been to survive. It was a vicious cycle.

 

“It’s easier when I have something to do.” Nathan’s conversational tone couldn’t quite hide the discomfort. “I’ve been working with Zane and Henry. I think we’re getting somewhere.”

 

“Good.” Jack cleared his throat. “That’s good.”

 

“So, we weren’t friends?”

 

The question came out of the blue, and Jack kept silent, not knowing how to answer, not liking the idea that the truth would hurt. He hated being the bad guy.

 

Nathan continued. “I’d wondered. When I first got back, you were only around while I was unconscious.”

 

“I think, maybe, we could have been friends,” Jack offered. “Eventually. Or, you know, we could just go from here.”

 

Jack risked a quick glance at Nathan, whose gaze was fixed on the floor, but Jack could see the beginning of a smile on his face. “Come back to Allison’s when we get out of here,” Jack suggested. “We’ll send the nanny home for the day, and you can spend some more time with Jenna.”

 

“Allison won’t mind?” Nathan inquired, his tone wistful, and that decided matters.

 

“We’ll ask, but I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

 

Jo appeared in front of them, cutting off Nathan’s reply. “I checked with Andy, and it was definitely sabotage. Andy’s working on analyzing the forensic evidence, and he’s going to _hand deliver_ a report.” Jack couldn’t miss the emphasis. “Allison wants you to rest.”

 

Jack sighed. “I guess this means that we won’t be stopping by the station.”

 

“Definitely not.” Jo eyed Nathan. “And Allison told me that you needed to take a break, so you’re in charge of making sure Carter takes it easy.”

 

Nathan grinned wickedly. “Does she want me to sit on him?”

 

“Hey!” Jack protested, sure there was an insult somewhere in there. “I can rest.”

 

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Jo replied. “Get out of here, Carter.”

 

Jack limped out of the building in Nathan’s wake, following him to large, black SUV, which was a bit of a surprise. “Fleet vehicle?”

 

“It’s what was available,” Nathan confirmed. “Jack—thanks.”

 

Jack shrugged off the gratitude. “I should be thanking you. You’re the one giving me a ride.”

 

Nathan sighed. “You know what I meant.”

 

“I know. We’re fine, Nathan.” Jack smiled. “Hang in there, huh?”

 

Nathan smiled. “You know, I think maybe I can.”

 

~~~~~

 

Allison had given some thought to refusing to give permission to send the nanny home, but she couldn’t think of a good reason. She didn’t want to deny Nathan access to his daughter, and Jack was fully capable of overseeing Nathan from the couch. She thought it might do everyone good to get used to having Nathan around.

 

She was a little worried about what she’d find when she got home. After a trying day—several minor accidents, as well as a nasty chemical spill that she and Jo had spent the afternoon cleaning up—she didn’t have the energy to deal with any other emergencies, whether medical or interpersonal.

 

Allison stepped out of her heels as soon as she walked in the front door with a sigh of relief and glanced around the corner to the living room, stopping cold at the sight.

 

Nathan sat on the floor in front of Jenna, cross-legged, his large frame dwarfing his daughter. Jack was stretched out on the couch, watching them, an indulgent smile on his face. Nathan was talking to Jenna, his voice a low rumble, and Jenna babbled back at him.

 

Allison took a half step forward so that she could see the rest of the room and spotted Kevin draped across the recliner, playing with a hand-held video game.

 

“Hey, Kev, what do you think about pizza for dinner?” Jack asked. Allison spotted the ice pack settled on his twisted knee, and thought that he really did seem to be taking it easy.

 

“Sounds good,” Kevin replied, distracted by his game. “Extra pepperoni?”

 

“Only if we can get extra mushrooms.”

 

“We’ll probably need two pizzas,” Nathan said, negotiating a compromise. “I think we can do two.”

 

“Great,” Kevin mumbled.

 

Allison watched as Nathan looked up to meet Jack’s eyes, and they both shared a grin, Nathan’s teeth white against his beard, Jack’s eyes crinkling in shared mirth. At that moment, her heart skipped a beat. Jack’s words echoed through Allison’s head: “What if you didn’t have to choose?”

 

Could it really be that simple? If they risked this, it could mean the end of her relationship with Jack, and it could irreparably damage what they were building with Nathan. If they took this leap, they might all regret it.

 

And if it worked, Allison thought—if it worked, it might end up being perfect.

 

Allison took a step into the room, and the movement drew Jack’s attention. A slow smile spread across his face. “Hey there. Did the cleanup go okay?”

 

“No problem at all,” she assured them.

 

“You okay with pizza for dinner?” Jack asked. “I figure Nathan probably can’t cook to save his own life, and I’m injured, so…”

 

“I’ll have you know that I am a fantastic cook,” Nathan broke in, faking hurt, although Allison could see the way his lips twitched.

 

Jack rolled his head to look at Nathan. “You want to cook?”

 

“I haven’t had pizza in about two and a half years,” Nathan replied. “It sounds good.”

 

“Pizza is perfect,” Allison said, breaking up the incipient bickering. “I’m going to get changed.”

 

She wasn’t terribly surprised when Jack limped into her bedroom just moments after she’d closed the door. “How are you feeling?” she asked. “And don’t even bother lying.”

 

“I’ve been better,” he admitted. “My shoulder hurts.”

 

“Did you take your pills?”

 

“Don’t you remember the last time I was loopy?”

 

Allison smiled. “It seems to have worked out.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I’ve thought about what you said,” she told him abruptly, pausing as she unbuttoned her blouse. “About what you asked.”

 

“Yeah?” The word held a wealth of meaning.

 

“Did you mean it?”

 

Jack limped over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I meant it. I knew—I didn’t want you to have to choose between us.”

 

She sat down next to him. “I need you to know that you would win, Jack. I won’t lie and tell you that it wouldn’t be hard, but you would win.”

 

He smiled faintly. “Thanks.”

 

“But if you meant it—”

 

“I meant it,” he confirmed. “I did. It’s not—I won’t tell you that I never thought about it before. I just figured I had even less chance with him than I had with you.”

 

“I don’t know if this will work,” she warned him. “If it doesn’t—”

 

“If it doesn’t work, it will probably be the biggest clusterfuck in the history of the world.” Jack offered a self-deprecating smile. “So, if we do this, if Nathan agrees, maybe we should keep it quiet. At least until we know how it’s going to work out.”

 

“Do you want to talk to him tonight?”

 

Jack shook his head. “No, not tonight. Sleep on it, and then we can talk to him tomorrow if you still want to try.”

 

Allison frowned. “Do you think I don’t know my own mind?”

 

“I want you,” Jack said. “And I want you to be happy. If this will make you happy, I’m good with it. If not trying it out will make you happy, then I’m good with that, too.”

 

“Jack.” She laid her hand over his. “We both have to be all right with this decision if I’m going to even suggest that we risk it.”

 

“I think I might want to try,” Jack said softly. “If you want.”

 

“I think I do,” Allison replied. “But I’ll sleep on it. We can talk to him tomorrow.”

 

Jack leaned in, capturing her lips with his own. “I love you.”

 

“I love you, too.” She followed up the kiss with another. “Now, get out of here so I can finish changing.”

 

Jack offered a wistful smile. “Sure. I’ll call for pizza.”

 

Allison breathed deeply once he’d gone, wondering if she was crazy for even considering this, but she thought she had to try.

 

And the idea that she could have both of them with her—it was too tempting to pass up.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo ended the phone call with a vicious curse. “That was Andy,” she told Allison. “He confirmed that the hybrid’s escape was a deliberate act of sabotage.”

 

Allison grimaced as she finished pulling off her HAZMAT suit. “That’s not good.”

 

“First the DED, and now the wolf thing,” Jo muttered. “Something weird is going on here.”

 

Allison sighed. “I agree. Andy will cover for Jack tonight and tomorrow?”

 

“At least,” Jo said. “That’s one good thing about having an AI as a deputy. He doesn’t need the time off that a person would.” Jo smiled grimly. “And this way, he’ll be too busy to spend his nights with SARAH.”

 

“They’re still dating?” Allison asked with a smile.

 

“SARAH prefers to say that they’re seeing each other.” Jo dusted her hands off on her slacks. “Okay, I think that’s the end of it.”

 

Allison nodded. “I should probably get home and make sure that Jack and Nathan haven’t killed each other yet.”

 

“Have fun,” Jo said. “I’m going to finish up my report and then head out. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

The report was easy enough to write; just two short paragraphs on how a scientist tripped and fell, and a loose container lid popped off. One little accident that had cost her most of the afternoon.

 

The bigger problem was what to do about the sabotage in Bradley’s lab. There didn’t seem to be any real reason behind it, other than to cause mayhem, and maybe injury. Whoever released the animal must have known that she and Jack were the two most likely to chase after it. Bradley had nearly been killed, and Jack was out of commission for at least a few days.

 

Perhaps it was meant to be a distraction? She began making notes, listing all the possible culprits and motives. When Andy finished the forensic analysis they would know more, but until then, Jo’s mind would worry at the problem until she had an answer.

 

“Hey, Jo-Jo.”

 

She sighed and didn’t bother looking up. “Zane, don’t call me that.”

 

“Is that what I called you before?” The chair across from her desk squeaked out a protest as he plopped down. “Did you hate it then, too?”

 

“As a matter of fact,” she began, and then stopped. Jo had promised Zane the truth. “No, I didn’t hate it, but since we’re not dating now, I would prefer you not call me that.”

 

He shrugged. “All right. I brought you something.”

 

Jo finally met his eyes. “Please tell me you have good news on the Trust.”

 

“I have good news,” he replied. “Stark and I wrote a program that hit some pay dirt. It’s still running, but the results are promising so far. We should have a more comprehensive report tomorrow afternoon. I was going to suggest we talk about it at Carter’s place. It’s the most secure.”

 

Moments like this, Jo forgot that this wasn’t the man with whom she’d fallen in love. She remembered the keen scientist who had enjoyed his work and could be a consummate professional. _This_ Zane appeared to treat everything as a joke.

 

But the potential was still there. It was maddening.

 

“That is good news,” she replied in a neutral voice. “Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

 

“No, I wanted to return your ring.”

 

Zane flipped it across the desk, and Jo caught it without thinking. “Zane, this is yours.”

 

“No, _my_ grandmother’s ring is in my mom’s safety deposit box.” He smiled. “I thought you might want to keep it, to remember him by.”

 

Jo swallowed hard and stared down at the ring. She wished _so hard_ that she’d said yes, that she hadn’t stopped to think. At least then she wouldn’t be weighed down with regret. “Thank you.”

 

“Hey.” She glanced up in surprise when Zane came around the desk, squatting down next to her chair. “Look, I’m sorry. I didn’t get a chance to say that before.”

 

Jo shook her head. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.”

 

“Funny, it doesn’t feel that way.” His big, callused hand covered hers, curling her fingers back around the ring. “You went up to bat for me, Lupo, even if it wasn’t _me_ you were doing it for.”

 

Jo had no idea how to respond to that. She just stared at their joined hands, knowing that she should pull away but unable to do so.

 

“Jo? I thought—” Zoe stopped in the doorway. “What’s going on here?”

 

Zane released Jo and rose slowly. “I was just returning something of Lupo’s.”

 

“That wasn’t all you were doing,” Zoe replied angrily. “What the _hell_ is going on here?”

 

Jo had no idea what to say. She couldn’t tell Zoe about the alternate timeline, not without Carter’s permission. She couldn’t tell Zoe that she’d been interested in Zane, because Zoe would never believe her.

 

“Lupo and I were looking into who was responsible for the attack on your dad,” Zane said smoothly. “There’s nothing going on, Zoe.”

 

Zoe shook her head, staring at them with narrowed eyes. “I don’t believe you.”

 

“Shit,” Zane muttered as Zoe turned on her heel and left.

 

“You have to go after her,” Jo said dully.

 

Zane sighed. “I know. I’m going to have to break it off. I was kind of hoping it could wait until after Zoe went back to school.”

 

Jo stared at him. “You’re an ass, Donovan.”

 

Zane shrugged. “I never pretended otherwise, Lupo.”

 

When he’d gone, Jo buried her face in her hands. She would have to talk to Carter and warn him that Zoe was on the warpath. Carter might have to come clean after this; he might not have a choice.

 

Jo hadn’t wanted it to come to this; she certainly hadn’t wanted to hurt Zoe.

 

And the worst part was that she’d have to go back to Carter’s place tonight and face Zoe. That was the last thing she wanted to do.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan had expected to feel like a third wheel during the dinner with Jack and Allison; the three of them had rarely spent time together that he could remember, and his experience had always been that three was company.

 

Improbably, he felt almost as though he’d slotted right into place. There had been a few awkward moments, but Nathan hadn’t felt unwelcome. By the time he’d taken Jack home, Nathan found himself yearning for more. He even thought he might be able to live with what Jack and Allison seemed to be offering.

 

That half-comfortable, half-yearning feeling stayed with him all day as he worked with Zane, Fargo and Henry on gathering information and putting together the pieces that would give them an overall picture of the Trust.

 

“You’re coming to the meeting this afternoon, right?” Zane asked in a low voice as they sorted through the data.

 

Nathan nodded absently. “I had planned on it. Jack’s place, right?”

 

“Yeah.” Zane’s voice was heavy with dread.

 

“There a problem?”

 

“Nothing I can’t handle,” Zane replied grimly.

 

When Nathan arrived at Jack’s place, Zoe was just leaving, climbing into her little blue Smart car as he stepped out of the SUV. “Zoe!” Nathan called.

 

She waved but didn’t stop, peeling out with a spray of gravel that had him frowning. He saw Allison just inside the door. “Is there something wrong with Zoe?” he asked in a low voice.

 

Allison shook her head. “It has something to do with Zane. She won’t talk to Jack or me, and when Jack said that he was taking a meeting here, she said she was going to spend the night with Pilar.”

 

Nathan winced. “That doesn’t sound good.”

 

“No, it doesn’t. Jack’s worried about her.” She glanced over her shoulder, where Jack was seated on the couch, his head tipped back. “We’re probably going to have to tell Zoe about the alternate time line, but Jack wants to protect her.”

 

“I don’t blame him.” Nathan rubbed his beard. “I’ve seen what these people are capable of, Allison, and it’s not pretty.”

 

Allison gave a short, jerky nod. “I know. Stick around after the meeting, okay? Jack and I still want to have that conversation.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Henry and Grace arrived before he could say anything more, and Nathan put some distance between himself and the rest of the room, perching on the steps.

 

He held his tongue, watching the action in the living room but not taking part. Henry, Grace, Jack and Allison sat next to each other on the couch, Fargo and Jo were seated on a couple of chairs they had pulled in from the dining room, and Zane stood in front of SARAH’s large flat screen.

 

Nathan had helped put together the information, so he allowed his mind to drift during Zane’s explanation about former Congressman Bob Faraday, and his probable connection to the Trust. Faraday was a piece of work, and Nathan had looked into the man’s activities back when he’d been head of GD. Faraday was as dirty as they came; he just hid it well.

 

Nathan’s attention was on Jack and Allison—the way Jack sagged into her, the way her fingers played with the hair on the nape of his neck. Nathan suspected that Jack was hurting; he never took painkillers when he wanted to be sharp, and most of this information would be new to Jack.

 

“Proving a connection to some mythical organization like the Trust isn’t going to do us a hell of a lot of good if we can’t prove that they’re doing something illegal,” Jack pointed out, rousing Nathan from his reverie.

 

“Agreed,” Zane replied. “I think we have enough to get Beverly. We’re still working our way up the food chain, but it’s just a matter of time before we follow the paper trail to its source.”

 

“We’d better get that information before Mansfield gets to town with his goon squad,” Fargo muttered. “Unless we have something to tell him, Mansfield will throw all of us to the wolves.”

 

“All of us meaning _you_ ,” Jo shot back. “If we stay calm, we can make it through the investigation. Mansfield isn’t going to be looking for signs of time travel.”

 

“He might,” Fargo protested. “And if he does, we’re screwed.”

 

“It’s not going to come to that,” Grace soothed. “There’s no evidence, and even if there were, I’m sure Zane and Nathan could erase it.”

 

Nathan nodded as all eyes focused on him. “Yeah, we can scrub any records, although I think all of you should probably catch up on what’s been going on in Eureka in the last couple of years, if you haven’t already.”

 

“We’ve done our best,” Jack promised. “Zane, keep going. What else do you have on the Trust?”

 

Nathan rubbed his eyes as Zane continued, explaining what parts of Grant’s manifesto they’d used in the data-mining program and the list of people potentially involved. Experience told Nathan that it could be several days before they managed to turn the list of potential suspects into something a little more solid.

 

He’d gone through all of this just a few hours ago, though, and he didn’t need to hear it again.

 

Nathan sat back, leaning against the staircase, smiling when Jack twisted in his seat as though stretching, blue eyes catching Nathan’s. Jack smiled with warmth that Nathan didn’t remember seeing before.

 

What the hell did Jack and Allison want to talk to him about? Did it have something to do with Jenna? Nathan ran down the list of possibilities over and over again while Zane gave quick bios on those suspected of actively working for the Trust.

 

When the meeting finally broke up, it was after eight, and everyone had stuffed themselves on the collection of appetizers that SARAH had provided. Nathan might have enjoyed the easy camaraderie and lively discussion if he hadn’t been so damn curious as to what Jack and Allison might have to say.

 

He hung back as the others left, projecting a lack of concern he didn’t feel. “Where are Kevin and Jenna tonight?” he asked.

 

“My parents picked Jenna up this afternoon, and they’re going to keep her for a couple of days.” Allison smiled. “And Kevin is spending the night at Dre’s to give us a little time.”

 

Nathan swallowed his disappointment. He’d already begun to get attached to his daughter, and he didn’t like the thought of not seeing her for a few days. “And what do we need the time for?”

 

“I asked Jo to give us a few hours so we could talk privately.” Jack settled back into the couch cushions with a groan. “We have a suggestion.”

 

“ _You_ need to take your meds,” Allison said moving to grab a glass of water from the kitchen. “Nathan, we know this is a difficult situation for you. We’re not the same people you knew, which is why when we make this offer, it’s with the understanding that you can walk away.”

 

Nathan frowned. “Walk away from what?”

 

Jack accepted the pills and the glass of water from Allison. “From us.”

 

It took a minute for Nathan to figure out what Jack meant. “Wait, what?”

 

“Grace said that you had been interested in both of us,” Allison said. “Has that changed?”

 

Nathan blinked. Everything he thought he’d lost—everything he never thought to have—was being offered on a silver platter. “No, it hasn’t changed,” he finally managed, his mouth suddenly dry. “You’re serious?”

 

Jack smiled, a little rueful. “You’re a part of our lives whether we like it or not, Nathan. We’re connected. Allison and I thought—we thought maybe we could find a solution that would make everyone happy.”

 

Nathan suspected that Jack had been the one to come up with the plan. He knew what lengths Jack would go to keep those he loved happy, and he knew Allison well enough to know that she wouldn’t have suggested it.

 

“And if this goes bad?” Nathan asked. “If it doesn’t work out? Then what?”

 

Jack and Allison shared a look. “We have the kids to think about,” Allison pointed out. “We’d both like to keep it quiet until we know that it’s going to work, but—we have every reason to make this work, Nathan. We all need to maintain a good working relationship.”

 

“You can think about it,” Jack suggested. “If you want. You don’t have to decide right now.”

 

Nathan wanted to think about it, and at the same time he wanted to jump in with both feet before either of them could change their minds. “You two are the ones who are going to be hurt if this doesn’t work,” Nathan felt compelled to point out. “You’re the ones in a relationship.”

 

“It’s a risk,” Allison agreed. “But it’s one we’re willing to take.”

 

Nathan shook his head, struggling to catch his breath. He was suddenly thrown back into one of his hallucinations—his favorite—where all three of them were together.

 

“Hey.” Jack’s hand squeezed Nathan’s shoulder. “Breathe. We’re right here.”

 

Allison touched his leg. “Please, take whatever time you need.”

 

Nathan took a moment to catch his breath, and then said, “Even if I were to decide tonight, Jack’s certainly not going to be up for anything.”

 

“Unfortunately, that’s true,” Jack agreed with a yawn.

 

Allison raised her eyebrows. “We could just sleep.”

 

“There’s an idea,” Jack said with another yawn. “Damn pain medications.”

 

“Bed,” Allison ordered. “I’ll come up and join you.”

 

“Bring Nathan with you if you can,” Jack replied. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Nathan smiled. “Just get some rest.”

 

Jack climbed the stairs slowly, and Nathan kept his eyes on SARAH’s flat screen, set to display a picture of a lonely beach somewhere, his mind spinning.

 

“Is this really what he wants?” Nathan asked as soon as he was certain Jack was out of earshot. “Is this what _you_ want?”

 

Allison glanced away, her dark eyes anxious. “I don’t know, Nathan. I think—I believe that he cares about you, and I believe he wants the best for me—for both of us.”

 

“What do you want?” Nathan asked softly. “The truth, Allie, for both our sakes.”

 

“The truth is that I was going to marry you,” Allison replied softly. “I know that’s not what happened in this time line, but I was in love with you, and there’s a part of me that still loves you, just like there’s a part of me in love with Jack.”

 

Nathan took a deep breath. “Neither of you want this.”

 

“ _Both_ of us want it,” she corrected him. “We could be happy with each other, Nathan, but we think we’d be happier with all three of us involved.”

 

He didn’t understand why; he was a third wheel at best, but he was selfish enough to want this, to want what they were offering. And he remembered dinner the night before, the sense of belonging he’d felt. “I never wanted to come between you two,” Nathan finally said. “I love both of you enough to walk away, to let you live your life.”

 

“You’re already half in love with Jenna,” Allison replied softly. “You can’t walk away now.”

 

“No, I can’t,” he admitted.

 

She pressed a hand to his cheek. “Take your time. Think about it. Just know that the door is open.”

 

Nathan covered her hand with his own, deciding that he didn’t need to think about it, that in this case, it was better if he leapt without looking too hard. “I want to try.”

 

She smiled. “That’s what we were hoping you’d say.”

 

~~~~~

 

Zane went home alone after the meeting. He hadn’t been able to talk to Zoe the night before. She wasn’t answering his phone calls, and she seemed to disappear just before Zane showed up anywhere. He had no idea how to explain what was going on between him and Lupo—if anything was.

 

He tossed and turned for most of the night, information on the Trust on a continuous loop in his head. One more strike, and Zane knew not even Carter or Lupo would be able to save him. He’d be behind bars with no computer in sight.

 

That was one of the big reasons he was helping. If he could get enough dirt on Mansfield and the Trust to put them all out of business, he’d be safe.

 

And then what? Zane wondered. He could keep pulling pranks, letting the monkeys out of their cages, taking sensitive equipment on joy rides, thumbing his nose at Carter and Lupo—and none of it was going to get him anywhere.

 

Zane felt like a hamster on a wheel—stuck in Eureka, stuck doing the bidding of the DOD, just _fucking stuck_.

 

But the last couple of days had felt like the light at the end of the tunnel. He was working on something that mattered, something that challenged him. Zane had been a hacker before anything else, and this project was right up his alley.

 

For the first time in years, Zane didn’t dread the sheer boredom of his daily grind.

 

Zane slept through his alarm and groaned when he woke and saw the clock. He had a feeling he’d be hearing about his tardiness from Fargo, if not from Lupo. Throwing on the first clean clothes that came to hand, Zane checked the progress of his mining operation from his own private, secure line.

 

Something Mansfield would probably have him arrested for, if the general ever discovered its existence, but the secure line had certainly come in handy now.

 

A few quick keystrokes, and Zane could see the results—three dozen people whose online activity suggested they might be members of the Trust. Each person would have to be individually vetted, their recent activities traced, and financials investigated. Zane hoped the sheriff was going to bring in help, because this was going to take far too long.

 

The knock on his door startled him, and Zane swore, thinking that Lupo had come to roust him.

 

“What—” He stopped when he saw Zoe. “Zoe. You’re here.”

 

“I saw your car outside, and I decided to stop by.” She pushed past him. “We need to talk.”

 

“Now isn’t a good time,” Zane hedged. “I’m already late for work.”

 

“Since when do you care about work?” she demanded. “You’ve been working late every day, having secret meetings with my dad, and you’re suddenly really cozy with Jo. So what the _hell_ is going on?”

 

Zane felt a spike of alarm. “What do you know about my meetings with the sheriff?”

 

“You were there last night,” Zoe replied. “I passed you, as well as Henry and Grace, on my way to Pilar’s. Since Allison and Dad were already there, and Dr. Stark arrived just as I was leaving, I put two and two together. It wasn’t hard.”

 

Zane felt as though he was in over his head. When he’d flirted with Zoe, it had been entertaining, and mostly reflex. He’d gone out with her because she was attractive and fun, and he’d enjoyed tweaking Carter. And now…

 

“I can’t tell you,” Zane finally said.

 

She scowled. “Can’t, or won’t?”

 

“ _Can’t_ ,” he insisted. “Look, Zo, this thing is important, and it’s probably a little dangerous, so the fewer people who know about it, the better off everyone will be.”

 

“Does this have anything to do with how weird my dad has been lately?” she asked.

 

Zane shook his head. “I don’t know.”

 

“And you and Jo?” Zoe continued. “What was that?”

 

“That was…” Zane had no idea what to tell her. “I was returning something that belonged to her.”

 

“It was more than that,” Zoe insisted. “Zane—”

 

Zane kept his mouth shut. He knew they were edging into dangerous territory.

 

“How long has this been going on?” Zoe asked when he didn’t respond.

 

Zane stuck his hands in his pockets. “There isn’t anything going on.”

 

“Don’t lie to me!”

 

“Lupo convinced Mansfield to investigate instead of throwing me into jail a couple of months ago,” Zane finally said. “She looked out for me. I owe her.”

 

Zoe stared at him, her eyes narrowing. “When were you planning on breaking up with me?”

 

Zane decided that honesty might be the better tactic in this instance. “You’re going back to Harvard in a couple of weeks. You were the one who said that you didn’t want to be tied down to a relationship.”

 

Zoe’s eyes widened with surprise and hurt. “You were going to let me break up with you.”

 

Zane shrugged. “I had a better chance of your dad not killing me that way.”

 

Zoe covered her face with her hands for a moment, and he could hear the deep breath she took. “Okay. Fine. I guess we break up ahead of schedule.” She glared at him. “You’re _such_ a jackass.”

 

He forced a smile. “I never pretended to be anything else.”

 

The door slammed behind Zoe as she left, and Zane sighed. He could have handled that better, but he wasn’t sure how. Zoe knew something was up now, though, and chances were she’d confront Carter with her suspicions.

 

But that was Carter’s problem, Zane thought. He had work to do.


	5. A Hundred Little Things

**“To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.” ~Soren Kierkegaard**

 

Jack woke all at once, shoulder throbbing in time to his heartbeat, sensing a presence in the room. In the next moment, he recognized Nathan’s form as he pulled on his shirt.

 

“Nathan? What are you doing?”

 

“I figured you’d want me out of here before Jo woke up.” Nathan shoved his feet into his shoes. “If we’re keeping this quiet.”

 

“Yeah,” Jack groaned. Jo’s house would be done in another day—maybe two at the most—and they had talked about keeping their new arrangement a secret. “Give me a second.”

 

Nathan shook his head. “Go back to sleep, Jack. I can find my own way out.”

 

“Gotta take my medication anyway,” Jack replied. “There’s no way I’m getting back to sleep with the way my shoulder is aching now.”

 

Allison stirred beside him, but she quickly subsided. Jack felt Nathan’s big hand grip his arm, helping him up. Jack limped after Nathan, sighing at the sight of the stairs.

 

“Need any help?” Nathan murmured.

 

“No, I got it.” Jack made his slow way down the stairs. His knee had shown definite improvement, but his shoulder probably wouldn’t be much better for another day or two.

 

Nathan stood in the living room, near the base of the stairs, hands shoved in his pockets. “You okay?”

 

“I’m fine,” Jack assured him. “Are you, uh, regretting your decision? There’s still time to back out if you want.”

 

“No,” Nathan said quietly. “I don’t want to back out. Do you?”

 

Jack shook his head. “No.”

 

The silence between them stretched out with the same kind of awkwardness Jack had experienced at the end of a first date, when he hadn’t been sure whether to offer hug or a kiss, or just a handshake.

 

“So, uh, did we do this before?” Jack asked, desperate to break the silence.

 

Nathan’s lips tilted up in a smile, his eyes dark and enigmatic in the dim light. “Did we do what?”

 

“Kiss. Or whatever,” Jack added, feeling like a bigger idiot by the moment.

 

Nathan’s smile widened. “Once, when we were very drunk because Allison had rejected both of us. We never talked about it again.”

 

Jack huffed. “That doesn’t make this any less awkward.”

 

“No, it doesn’t,” Nathan agreed. He sighed. “I should go.”

 

“Have dinner with us tonight,” Jack urged. “Allison and I have been meeting at Café Diem on Thursdays. We should probably spend some more time together. You may change your mind.”

 

Nathan shook his head. “I’m not going to change my mind. Try to get some more sleep, and take your pills.”

 

“Yes, mother,” Jack muttered as Nathan passed him, pressing Jack’s good shoulder with a warm hand.

 

Jack took the pain medication as promised, and gave the stairs a dirty look. He didn’t think he could deal with them again right now.

 

He settled on the couch, stretching out with a sigh, and wondered why waking up with Nathan and Allison didn’t feel weirder.

 

Jack had just begun to doze off when he felt the couch cushions dip next to him. “You didn’t come back up,” Allison murmured, brushing a hand over his forehead.

 

“Couldn’t face the stairs,” Jack confessed. “Not right now.”

 

“Okay.” Allison stretched out next to him, and Jack wrapped his good arm around her. “Are you all right?”

 

“Saying goodbye to Nathan was weird.”

 

“Good weird, or bad weird?”

 

“End of date where you don’t know whether to kiss or hug or something else weird,” Jack explained. “We didn’t kiss, by the way.”

 

Allison ran a hand over his chest. “You’re allowed, Jack. If we’re going to make this work, you have to be willing to go there.”

 

“I am. I just thought maybe you should be there the first time.”

 

She hummed happily.

 

“You’re looking forward to watching, aren’t you?” Jack accused.

 

She laughed. “The thought has crossed my mind.”

 

His eyes drifted shut. “You’ll have to wait a bit for that.”

 

When Jack woke again, Allison and Jo were talking quietly in the kitchen, both of them dressed and sipping coffee. “Good morning,” he said as he moved stiffly to the kitchen.

 

Allison gave him a dirty look. “I know what you’re thinking, Jack, and I expect at least three more days off.”

 

“I need to go to the station to talk to Andy,” Jack protested. “But I promise that I will sit and do paperwork, and nothing else.”

 

Allison’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to call Andy to make sure you stay off your feet.”

 

“On my honor,” Jack raised a hand in the Boy Scout salute.

 

Jo snorted. “It would figure that you were a Boy Scout, Carter.”

 

“Eagle Scout,” he corrected her.

 

“I have to go,” Allison said, giving Jack a quick kiss. “Be good today.”

 

“I’m on my way out, too,” Jo announced, following Allison out with a wave in Jack’s direction.

 

Jack put on his uniform and was just buckling his gun belt when Zoe stormed into the bunker. “Okay, Dad. What the _hell_ is going on?”

 

Jack raised his eyebrows. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

 

“Don’t give me that,” Zoe shot back. “I already talked to Zane this morning, and I know he’s working on a project for you. _And_ I know that whatever it is, he could get into big trouble for it. He was here last night for that big, secret meeting, and he and Jo apparently don’thate each other anymore. Whatever is going on, you know about it.”

 

Jack scrubbed his hands over his face. “I can’t tell you.”

 

“That’s the same thing Zane said!” Zoe burst out. “It’s stupid!”

 

“This is the kind of thing that, if you know about it, you’ll be in danger, Zoe,” Jack replied. “If it comes to that, if someone asks you, I want you to be able to honestly say that you have no idea.”

 

“So, Jo’s involved, too,” Zoe said flatly. “Does Allison know?”

 

“She knows,” Jack replied.

 

“She’s part of it, then,” Zoe said. “And Henry and Grace?”

 

“Zoe…”

 

“Everybody knows except for me.” Zoe sighed. “That’s not fair, Dad. I’m your family. I could help, you know.”

 

“You’re a brilliant kid, but if something goes wrong, we’re talking about sanction. I can’t put you at that kind of risk.”

 

Zoe took a seat at the table. “What the hell did you get yourself into, Dad?”

 

Jack raised his hands defensively. “Hey, not my fault.”

 

“You know my curiosity is killing me,” Zoe said.

 

He took a deep breath, knowing that Zoe wouldn’t rest until she knew everything. “If I tell you, promise me you’ll go visit your mom for a week or so, at least until the DOD’s investigation is over.”

 

“No, no way,” Zoe said. “If something goes wrong, I’ll never know about it. If you’re risking sanction, I have to know what’s going on.”

 

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” Jack soothed.

 

“You don’t know that.” Zoe fixed him with a glare. “Look, I’ll make myself scarce when General Mansfield is around, but you have to tell me what’s going on.”

 

Jack sighed and sat down. “There was a device, and it caused a small problem with space and time. We still don’t know who’s responsible.”

 

“Oh, my god,” Zoe said flatly. “You changed the past, didn’t you?”

 

“ _I_ didn’t,” Jack snapped defensively. “It was Dr. Grant.”

 

Zoe frowned. “That’s the science historian, right?”

 

Jack nodded. “This past Founder’s Day, Allison, Henry, Fargo, Jo and I got sent back to 1947. We did everything we could not to change the past, but Dr. Grant switched jackets with me. He was planning on stranding me there. Or, _then_.” He was still a little bitter about that, even though Grant had redeemed himself. “His coming here is what changed things.”

 

“And time travel will get you sanctioned,” Zoe guessed.

 

“That’s what Henry says,” Jack agreed. “And that’s why I don’t want you around for this.”

 

“I wasn’t the one who went all _Back to the Future_ ,” Zoe argued. “I want to help.”

 

“You can’t help,” Jack replied. “And you’re going to stay out of it, Zoe. I mean it. I can’t add worry about you on top of everything else.”

 

Zoe gave him a hard look. “You mean Dr. Stark.”

 

“And everything else,” Jack confirmed. “I need you to promise me.”

 

“I promise,” she said reluctantly. Her eyes widened. “Wait, Jo and Zane…”

 

Jack sighed. In for a penny, in for a pound, he thought. “Zane asked Jo to marry him right before the bridge device activated. Zane didn’t know about it until after you two started dating.”

 

“That’s why you asked about Jo,” she said with dawning realization. “That’s why you came to Harvard, and broke up with Tess. Am I—”

 

“You’re just the same,” Jack assured her. “Other than a rather worrisome tendency to be attracted to much older men who aren’t any good for you.”

 

Zoe rolled her eyes. “That’s not new.”

 

“Maybe not,” Jack replied. “But I hadn’t noticed it before.”

 

Zoe sighed. “I want to stay. You know I can help.”

 

“If—”

 

“How am I supposed to just run away when I can do something?” Zoe demanded. “I can’t do that. You wouldn’t be able to do it either.” Jack opened his mouth to respond, but Zoe continued, “And I _am_ an adult, so don’t tell me you’re sending me off because I’m your kid.”

 

Since that’s exactly what Jack had planned to say, he snapped his mouth shut. “All right, but you stay out of Mansfield’s way, and you promise me that you’ll make yourself scarce if I ask you to.”

 

“Scout’s honor,” Zoe said, raising her hand with a smile.

 

“You were never a scout,” Jack shot back.

 

Zoe’s smile widened into a grin. “I’m aware. I should get cleaned up. Talk to you later?”

 

“I’m going into the station to talk to Andy and get some paperwork done,” Jack said. “And I’m going out to dinner with Allison and Nathan tonight.”

 

Zoe raised her eyebrows. “Dr. Stark, too?”

 

“He _is_ Jenna’s dad,” Jack pointed out. “We’re trying to make this work.”

 

Zoe gave him a speculative look. “Sure thing, Dad.”

 

Jack was kicking himself as soon as he walked out. He shouldn’t have told her; he shouldn’t have said anything about time travel, or the bridge device. But he hated keeping secrets from his daughter, and she’d recognized that something was going on with Zane and Jo. Hell, she _was_ brilliant; maybe she would be able to help.

 

He wanted to call Allison, to get her advice, but Jack needed to check in with Andy first.

 

“Sheriff Carter!” Andy greeted him cheerfully when he walked into the station. “I’m sorry I didn’t come by the infirmary, but we’ve been busy.”

 

Jack frowned. “It’s fine, Andy. I was doped up most of the time. What’s the trouble?”

 

“I believe there’s a 73% chance that someone released Dr. Bradley’s hybrid _Canis lupus_ in order to injure either you or Ms. Lupo.” Andy pulled out a file and handed it to Jack. “We also had a problem with Dr. Andrews’ experiment. If she hadn’t caught it in time, we might have been looking a case of serious radiation poisoning.”

 

“Why?” Jack demanded. “What’s the reason behind the sabotage?”

 

Andy shook his head in a strangely human gesture. “That I don’t know, Sheriff. I’m sorry.”

 

Jack sighed. “Don’t be sorry. Just tell me what it is you found. We’ll go over this piece-by-piece until we figure it out.

 

~~~~~

 

Allison had spent the day dealing with various emergencies, feeling harried and slightly off balance. She’d missed Jack and Nathan when she’d woken, and hadn’t been able to go back to sleep after she’d joined Jack on the couch. Instead, she’d stayed and watched him, the lines on his face smoothing out in sleep.

 

She couldn’t believe that Jack wanted to go through with the plan, that he wanted to try a polyamorous relationship. Allison hadn’t thought Jack was the type to do anything less than vanilla, and here he’d surprised her again.

 

Jack was always surprising her. He had depths that she hadn’t yet plumbed.

 

The logistics were bothering her, though. Allison hated to even think about it, but this situation would have been easier if Kevin had still been autistic. He would have been mostly oblivious, but under the current circumstances, Allison wasn’t sure she wanted to explain the ins and outs of a three-way.

 

Kevin just tolerated Nathan right now. Maybe if Allison explained it in a way that made sense—

 

She just couldn’t figure out how to do that.

 

Allison still had too much to do by the time she was scheduled to leave, but she handed her cases over to Dr. Li anyway. “Sorry, but I’m supposed to meet Jack and Nathan for dinner.”

 

Dr. Li smirked. “I’d love to be a fly on that wall. You know, if you play your cards right, you might be able to convince them both to join you in bed.”

 

Allison could feel the flush rise to her cheeks. “Chun—”

 

Dr. Li laughed delightedly. “You’ve already thought of that solution.”

 

She pressed her lips to prevent the smile from forming. “It’s dinner.”

 

“It’s a nice fantasy,” Dr. Li replied with a smile. “Even if I don’t swing that way. They’re both very pretty, Allison.”

 

“Yes, they are,” she replied, unable to prevent the smile from forming.

 

Café Diem bustled with activity when Allison arrived; someone occupied every stool along the bar, and the tables were full as well.

 

“Allison!” Jack waved at her from a table along the wall. He and Nathan sat across from each other, the table small enough that their knees were nearly touching.

 

“Hey.” She bent to press a kiss to Jack’s lips. “Have you two been here long?”

 

“Only about ten minutes,” Jack replied. “We were thinking about getting it to go and heading back to your place, or mine if that works better.”

 

“Kevin will be home in a couple of hours,” Allison replied. “If you don’t mind having him around.”

 

She saw the look that passed between Nathan and Jack. “He’s going to have to get used to Nathan sooner or later,” Jack pointed out. “Maybe Kevin won’t mind so much if he knows that no one is going anywhere.”

 

Nathan winced. “Assuming that no one gets sanctioned.”

 

“We aren’t going to think like that,” Allison said firmly.

 

“Maybe we should,” Jack said softly. “Maybe we should have another plan in place just in case Mansfield comes after us.”

 

Allison shook her head. “No. It’s not going to be like that.”

 

“We should plan for any eventuality,” Nathan said quietly, sounding so much like the man she’d planned to marry.

 

“I know,” Allison sighed. “But not here.”

 

As if on cue, Vincent appeared next to their table. “I’m sorry about the wait,” he apologized immediately. “With Zoe gone, I’m missing my best worker. I hope you’re feeling better, Sheriff.”

 

“Much better,” Jack replied. “I’ll be good as new in a couple of days.”

 

“Try a week,” Allison put in dryly.

 

Jack hitched his good shoulder in a half-shrug. “You’re the doctor.”

 

“So, what can I get you?” Vincent asked.

 

Allison put in her order, and then gave Jack the evil eye before he could order his usual burger and fries. She knew that he’d probably eat nothing but burgers and pizza if left to his own devices, but Allison had been trying to get him to vary his diet with SARAH’s help. Jack sighed and ordered the salmon, and Nathan echoed his order.

 

“To go, please,” Allison said. “It’s a little crowded in here tonight.”

 

Vincent winced. “With all the recent commotion, people want to talk,” Vincent said as he hurried off.

 

“Eureka never changes,” Nathan murmured.

 

“Speaking of things not changing, I had to tell Zoe about the thing,” Jack admitted. “She’d talked to Zane and confronted me shortly after everybody left this morning.”

 

Allison’s eyes widened. “Did Zoe and Zane break up?”

 

“Yeah, and Zane basically told her just enough to make her come after me,” Jack replied.

 

“I meant what I said about beating him up,” Nathan offered.

 

Jack appeared a little too tempted for Allison’s peace of mind, and she nudged his foot under the table. “I think I’ll pass,” Jack said. “Although it’s tempting.”

 

“How did Zoe take it?” Allison asked.

 

“Better than I expected. I think knowing Jo and Zane had been an item before made things easier.” Jack rubbed his eyes. “She wants to help. I made her promise to avoid Mansfield when he gets into town for the investigation, but you know Zoe.”

 

Nathan smiled. “You won’t be able to keep her out, so it’s probably better to find her something to do that will keep her out of harm’s way.”

 

“I agree with Nathan.” Allison put a supportive hand on Jack’s arm. “Maybe it’s better this way, Jack. At least she knows, and if she does get pulled into the situation, she can cover for you.”

 

“I don’t want her covering for me,” Jack replied. “I want her out of it.”

 

Nathan’s expression was gentle. “She’s your daughter. She’s in this.”

 

“I don’t have to like it.” Jack glanced up as Vincent approached with their to-go containers. “Looks like dinner is served. Remind me to tell you about what Andy and I found when we get to Allison’s.”

 

Allison was relieved to see that Jack was limping less as they walked out, and he climbed behind the wheel of his Jeep without any trouble.

 

“If you don’t mind, I’ll catch a ride with you,” Nathan told her. “I walked over.”

 

“Do you miss your BMW?” she asked during the quick drive to her house.

 

Nathan sighed. “I miss a hell of a lot of things, Allie. The car is just one of them.” He gave her a smile that looked a little frayed around the edges. “Coming back from the dead sucks.”

 

“You weren’t dead,” she felt compelled to point out.

 

Nathan shrugged. “Close enough to make no real difference.”

 

“Have you had another panic attack?” she asked softly, even though there was no one to overhear. She knew how much Nathan hated weakness.

 

He shook his head. “No full blown panic attacks. It helps to have something else to focus on.”

 

Allison realized that some of the tension had left him. “Are you still having a hard time with crowds?”

 

“Not like at the beginning,” Nathan replied. “I’m fine, really. There was bound to be an adjustment period.”

 

“Aren’t you still adjusting?” she asked as she pulled up in front of her house. Jack’s Jeep was already parked on the street, and she could see him letting himself into the house with his key.

 

Nathan’s lips tilted up slightly. “I’m getting there.”

 

~~~~~

 

Jo pelted down the long hallway towards Henry’s lab. As far as she knew, he hadn’t been working on anything that would have caused the alarms to go off, and after reports of sabotage at Bradley and Andrews’ labs, Jo was more than a little worried. Without knowing the saboteur’s motives, she couldn’t even begin to guess at a culprit or what the next target might be.

 

When Jo skidded to a stop, Grace was struggling with a couple of the burlier scientists who were preventing her from entering the lab. Smoke had completely obscured the view through the glass doors, and with the dim emergency lights and strobing alarm, Jo couldn’t see any movement at all through the doors.

 

As she strode forward, Jo saw Zane slip past the rest of the crowd and the security guards and palmed the lock on the door.

 

Jo had no idea how he managed it, but the door slid open without a hitch, and Zane dashed inside. Jo shouldered through the crowd, stopping just outside the door. “I need a line!” Jo called, knowing that as thick as the smoke was it would be all too easy to get lost inside.

 

The security guards, who had arrived on her heels, began moving on her order. Mike—who was one of the smartest of her people—grabbed her belt. Jo strode into the room. “Zane! Henry!”

 

“Here!” Zane called, beginning to cough immediately thereafter, and Jo moved towards the sound of his voice.

 

“Talk to me, Zane,” Jo said. “I need to be able to find you.”

 

“I’ve got Henry,” he replied. “He’s unconscious.”

 

Jo made a grab, and after a moment or two, her hand closed around cloth. “Ready?”

 

“Lead me out.”

 

“Okay!” Jo shouted.

 

She coughed as she hit clear air. The air filters had started clearing the smoke, but Jo knew that Henry probably wouldn’t have made it if Zane had waited. The emergency medical personnel at GD were the best in the world—they had to be—and they took over immediately, whisking Henry away on a stretcher, with Grace in close attendance.

 

Jo allowed the medics to do a brief exam, but she shrugged off their attention after that.

 

“Dr. Li is going to want to see you in the infirmary,” one of the medics said.

 

“That’s my next stop,” Jo promised, her eyes on Zane. “Give me a minute.”

 

“Just one,” she replied, and then moved a little farther down the hallway.

 

Jo sank down onto the floor next to Zane. “That was brave—and probably stupid.”

 

“Probably,” he agreed from behind the oxygen mask he wore. He lifted it to grin at her. “But you have to do something stupid every once in a while.”

 

“Thank you,” Jo said. Eureka without Henry—it was inconceivable. “I don’t think I would have been fast enough.”

 

Zane shrugged. “Henry’s been good to me.”

 

She bumped her shoulder against his. “You’re ruining your reputation, you know.”

 

“I’ll risk it.” The medic made a noise from a few feet away, and Zane put the mask back over his face.

 

Jo clambered to her feet, and reached down to help Zane up. “Come on. I think our minute is up.”

 

Zane grunted. “Fine.”

 

“Should I call Zoe?” Jo asked, honestly wanting to know, and yet hating that she had to ask.

 

Zane shook his head. “We broke up,” he explained briefly, his words muffled. “This morning.”

 

Jo tried to summon some sense of sympathy, but there was only relief. “I’m sorry to hear that,” she managed.

 

“No, you’re not,” Zane replied. “But I think it’s for the best.”

 

Jo let out a breath. “Okay, I’m not sorry. You were mostly dating Zoe to tweak Carter.”

 

“Guilty,” Zane admitted. “But I have a few other things on my plate besides pissing off the sheriff at the moment.”

 

“Including going to the infirmary,” Jo replied, nodding to the medic. “I’ll meet you there. I’m going to have a look around at the lab.”

 

“Be careful,” Zane replied, his voice hoarse.

 

Jo didn’t respond; she just headed inside. The smoke had cleared, and she meandered around, not touching but looking for anything out of the ordinary. On her second pass, Jo located an intact box of latex gloves and began a closer inspection.

 

She was good at her job, and she was good at putting the pieces together. This time, she saw what appeared to be fragments of an incendiary device and a timer.

 

“Fuck,” Jo murmured.

 

Jo knew that Andy believed someone had targeted her or Carter with the release of the hybrid, and Andrews’ experiment had definitely been sabotaged. Still, Andrews had just been granted a new, lucrative grant, and it was possible that someone had disrupted her work out of jealousy or revenge. Planting a bomb, though—this was bad news, and the target had clearly been Henry, and possibly Grace.

 

And if Jo didn’t figure out who was responsible, not only would her job be in jeopardy, there was a good chance that someone would end up dead.

 

Jo’s phone rang, and she answered absently. “Hello?”

 

“Ms. Lupo?” Dr. Li’s crisp accent came through. “You’re wanted in the infirmary.”

 

“I’m on my way,” Jo promised. She began heading that way while she called Andy. “Andy? This is Jo. I need you up at GD. There was an explosion in Henry’s lab, and I found evidence of an incendiary device.”

 

Andy immediately responded, “I’m on my way, Jo. Do you want me to notify Sheriff Carter?”

 

“No, let him have the night off,” Jo ordered. “He’s supposed to be taking it easy, and if you call him, he’s going to insist on coming in tonight. I think it would be better to talk to him tomorrow.”

 

“Will do,” Andy replied cheerfully. “I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Should I come find you when I’m done?”

 

“I’ll be in the infirmary,” Jo replied, knowing from experience that she’d be there at least an hour before Dr. Li released her, and she intended to stay long enough to make sure Zane was okay.

 

“Are you okay?” Andy asked.

 

“I’m fine. I’m just going to get checked out,” Jo assured him. “Really, there’s no need to call the sheriff.”

 

“I guess I’ll bow to your expertise,” Andy said, his voice imbued with more doubt than should be possible for an AI.

 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Jo replied, trusting to an AI’s general inability to sense sarcasm—SARAH excepted. “I’ll talk to you later, Andy.”

 

She hung up before the deputy could reply, just as she entered the infirmary. Dr. Li waved her over to a cot, and Jo took a seat, resigned to losing the rest of her evening.

 

Jo submitted to the ministrations of the nurses, knowing that she hadn’t been in the smoke-filled lab long enough to do lasting damage, but also knowing that Dr. Li wasn’t going to let her off the hook so easily.

 

“Looks like you’re in one piece,” Dr. Li announced when she came over to speak to Jo personally. “I wish I could say the same for Dr. Deacon and Mr. Donovan.”

 

“How bad?” Jo asked immediately.

 

Dr. Li sighed. “I shouldn’t be talking to you about personal medical information. The regulations—”

 

“This is a criminal investigation,” Jo said persuasively. “Knowing how badly they were hurt can only help.”

 

Dr. Li’s expression was just a tad exasperated. “Uh huh. Tell me another one.”

 

Jo just raised her eyebrows.

 

“Fine. Dr. Deacon is suffering some respiratory distress from the smoke inhalation, as well as a couple of second-degree burns. Dr. Monroe is with him now, and I expect to release him in a couple of days, assuming he continues to improve. You can speak with him tomorrow.”

 

Jo nodded. “And Zane?”

 

“Much the same, minus the burns, although I’ll probably release him tomorrow morning,” Dr. Li replied.

 

Jo breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”

 

She was spared having to wonder where Andy was when the deputy bustled through the doors of the infirmary. He was smiling, although that wasn’t anything new, but Jo thought she caught a hint of self-satisfaction.

 

“Jo, I’m glad I caught you,” Andy said. “I think I have a lead.”

 

Jo let out a breath. “Great. Let’s hear it.”

 

“I found some of the same elemental traces on the cage as on the bomb. These sorts of things follow a person around. If we can find them, we can tie them to both incidents.”

 

“But we have to catch them first,” Jo said, rubbing her eyes. She was tired, she had a headache, and all she really wanted to do was to go home and take a hot bath. One more day and she could, but Jo didn’t think she wanted to run into Zoe tonight.

 

“Working on it,” Andy assured her. “I’m sorry I don’t have more for you yet, Jo.”

 

“I know you’re working hard,” Jo said. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

“I can’t help but worry,” he replied. “This is my town, too, you know.”

 

“I know it is.” Jo managed to dredge up a smile. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow, Andy.”

 

She would be finding a shower and a bed here at GD tonight, Jo thought, or maybe at the station, where she’d bedded down before.

 

“Hey,” Dr. Li called as Jo turned to leave. “I don’t think you should drive home.”

 

Jo made a face at the thought of staying in the infirmary overnight. She knew from experience that it wouldn’t be a restful sleep. “I’m okay.”

 

“There’s a room in the back that we sometimes use. It’s quiet and dark, and I’ll find you a set of scrubs,” Dr. Li insisted. “But I don’t want you driving home.”

 

She could have called Andy back to ask for a ride, or Jo could call Zoe or Carter, but any of those options meant seeing Zoe, and Jo just didn’t feel up to it. A quiet place to sleep was probably her best bet.

 

“Okay,” she finally agreed. “Lead the way.”

 

~~~~~

 

By the time Kevin got home, they had outlined several worst-case scenarios and rough plans of attack. “If they sanction us,” Allison had said soberly. “We’re going to have to run, and there’s no way we can afford to stay together.”

 

“Then we don’t get sanctioned,” Jack had replied. “But if it comes to that, we’ll find a way to be together eventually.”

 

In that moment, Nathan had known that Jack would move heaven and earth to do just that, and he knew better than to underestimate a determined Jack Carter.

 

All discussion on the matter ended when Kevin arrived. He appeared a little taken aback by Nathan’s presence, but he waved a hello and headed for his room.

 

“That was almost pleasant,” Jack commented.

 

Allison chuckled. “I’m learning a lot about teenage boys and what’s normal.”

 

Nathan shook his head. “You know, I remember when he was actually friendly to me.”

 

“It’s been an interesting transition,” Allison replied wryly.

 

Jack gave her a sympathetic grimace. “This whole thing has probably been easiest on me,” he admitted.

 

“And hardest on Jo?” Allison suggested. “We all lost something, and we all gained something, but…” She shook her head. “I worry about her.”

 

Silence reigned as they all got lost in their own thoughts, and Nathan thought about what he’d lost—his position at Global Dynamics, and to a certain extent his sanity—and what he’d gained.

 

He had the chance at more now, more than he’d ever hoped to have.

 

Nathan glanced at the clock and noticed how late it was getting. “I should get going. Jack, you sure you’re okay to drive?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Jack assured him. “I’ll give you a ride home, Nathan. If Zoe and Jo are going to be under the same roof, there should probably be adult supervision.”

 

“Do you qualify as an adult?” Nathan asked with a sly smile.

 

Jack rolled his eyes. “Under the current circumstances, yes.”

 

“I’ll walk you out,” Allison inserted serenely.

 

In the foyer, Allison gave Jack a quick kiss, then turned to Nathan with her eyebrows raised. Nathan just smiled and bent down to press his lips to hers. He shuddered at the contact, and he kept the kiss brief, not wanting either of them to see the strength of his reaction.

 

Allison pulled back, her hand briefly caressing his cheek. Nathan couldn’t help but close his eyes at the touch, and when he opened them again, concern was evident in her gaze. “You okay to go home?”

 

“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Have a good night.”

 

“You too.” She shared another look with Jack and caught his hand. “Call me if you need anything.”

 

“I will,” Jack promised as he left.

 

Nathan followed Jack out and climbed into the Jeep. “So, is it just me, or is this weird because it’s _not_ weird?”

 

Jack chuckled. “Not just you. Where do you want me to drop you?”

 

“Two blocks up, take a left at the stop sign, and I’ll direct you from there.” Nathan let the silence hang other than the occasional direction.

 

When Jack pulled up in front of his erstwhile home, Nathan reached for the door handle, but Jack grabbed his wrist. “Look,” he began awkwardly. “I should probably tell you that I’m really bad at this.”

 

“Bad at what?”

 

“This, whatever this is between us,” Jack replied. “I mean, it’s better with Allison, it’s easier, but I haven’t—I haven’t tried this kind of thing with a guy before.”

 

Nathan grinned. “It’s not _that_ different.”

 

“It feels different,” Jack replied. “And it’s—”

 

“We’re constrained by our circumstances and our other relationships,” Nathan felt compelled to point out. At Jack’s blank look, he added, “We’re breaking new ground. I don’t expect anything.”

 

Jack made a face. “You have the right to ask for what you need, Nathan.”

 

“Have you ever known me not to go after exactly what I want?” Nathan countered.

 

Jack smiled. “Fair point.” His thumb traced Nathan’s wrist bone gently. “Then tell me, what was that earlier?”

 

Jack’s touch mesmerized him, making his heart skip a beat and his breath catch. “What?”

 

“With Allison.” Jack stopped moving. “Touching—is this okay?”

 

“More than,” he managed hoarsely. “I—it’s been a long time.”

 

“Yeah.” Jack released him slowly. “I’d ask you to invite me in, but—”

 

“It’s all three of us, or it’s none of us,” Nathan said quietly. “At least the first time.”

 

“Exactly.” Jack took a deep breath, and then wrapped a hand around the back of Nathan’s neck, running his fingers through Nathan’s hair. “If you need anything, you’ll call me?”

 

Nathan closed his eyes and realized that as bad as they both were at talking about their feelings, they were on the same wavelength now. “I’ll call,” he promised.

 

He somehow managed to climb out of the Jeep and let himself into his house, feeling shaky and a little too raw. Leaning against the inside of the front door, Nathan took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get his emotions under control.

 

Memories of those first hours after being back flooded his mind. He could still taste the panic, the awful, consuming need for Jack, the need to be touched, the need to know that it was real.

 

There was no way he’d be able to sleep tonight, so Nathan headed to GD. He could at least use his insomnia to make some headway on running background checks. Maybe he could get the files on the hybrid from Andy and start figuring out who had targeted Jack.

 

He’d do anything to protect them—Allison, Jack, and the kids. One night’s lost sleep wouldn’t hurt him, and it might help them.

 

When Nathan arrived at Henry’s lab, he stopped short at the sight of the devastation. Yellow crime scene tape sealed the door, but he could see scorch marks and smoke stains through the windows. After a moment’s indecision, he turned and headed for the infirmary.

 

Dr. Li raised her eyebrows when he walked in. “Working a little late, Dr. Stark?”

 

“I thought I might put a few more hours in, and I saw Henry’s lab,” Nathan replied, dodging the implied criticism. “Was anyone hurt?”

 

She frowned. “You know I can’t give out confidential patient information.”

 

His smile felt a little rusty, but Nathan had used his charm on more formidable opponents in the past. “I’m not asking for confidential information. I just want to make sure Henry’s okay.”

 

Dr. Li’s smile was definitely amused. “Your charm won’t work on me, Dr. Stark. Nice try, though.”

 

“Nathan.” Grace came around the corner, a weary smile on her face. “What are you doing here at this late hour?”

 

He shrugged. “Didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, and then I saw Henry’s lab. How is he?”

 

Grace’s smile wavered slightly before she nodded. “He’s fine. A little banged up, and he inhaled more smoke than he should have, but he was very lucky. If Zane hadn’t been there…”

 

“Zane?” Nathan asked, impressed.

 

Grace glanced over, and Nathan caught sight of Zane wearing a nasal cannula. “He had some smoke inhalation, too, but Jo went in after them both and hauled them out. She’s fine,” Grace added before he could ask. “She’s sleeping.”

 

Nathan breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to go home and do the same?”

 

“You should, Grace,” Dr. Li inserted. “Henry’s resting comfortably, and I’ll call if there are any changes.”

 

Grace still hesitated. “I don’t know…”

 

“Let’s go,” Nathan said a little more forcefully. “Henry would be the first to tell you to take care of yourself.”

 

“Let me just go check on him one more time.”

 

Dr. Li shook her head as Grace hurried towards Henry’s bed. “I’ve been trying to get her to leave for the last two hours.”

 

Nathan grinned. “Apparently, you’re the only one immune to my charm.”

 

Dr. Li snorted. “I doubt that, but there probably aren’t very many of us.” She patted him on the arm. “Do you need something to help you sleep?”

 

Nathan shook his head; he didn’t like how groggy sleeping pills left him, and he wanted to be sharp. “I think I’ll be okay.”

 

It wasn’t even much of a lie.

 

~~~~~

 

Zane woke up in the infirmary, feeling a hell of a lot better than he had when he’d gone to sleep. His breathing was easier, his head wasn’t pounding, and—he smelled coffee. He opened his eyes to find Jo standing next to the bed, her hair wet and wearing a fresh suit.

 

“I hope some of that is for me,” Zane said, hearing how hoarse his still sounded and struggling to sit up.

 

She held out a plain white mug. “Allison just got in. I imagine she’ll be by in a few minutes.”

 

“Good to know.” Zane sipped his coffee. “Thanks for this.”

 

“I thought you deserved it,” Jo replied.

 

The clicking of heels on tile signaled Allison’s approach. “How are you feeling, Zane?”

 

“Better,” Zane replied immediately. “Can I get out of here?”

 

“I think I can release you to go home,” Allison replied with a smile.

 

Zane shook his head. “I’ve got way too much to do to go home.”

 

Allison’s lips pressed together. “Normally, I’d insist, but under the circumstances, I’ll make an exception.” When Zane opened his mouth to reply, Allison held up a hand. “Under two conditions—one, you come back here this afternoon so I can check up on you, and two, that you are out of the building by six at the _latest_.”

 

“I promise,” Zane replied.

 

Allison nodded briefly. “Keep an eye on him, Jo.”

 

“Sure,” Jo said readily enough. “I’m going to be working on the same project anyway.”

 

Zane gave her his best hopeful look. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to pick up the change of clothes I left in my lab.”

 

“No, but I’ll walk you down.” She turned just in time to see Zoe walk into the infirmary. Zoe’s footsteps faltered slightly as she approached them, but she put a pleasant smile on her face. “Zoe. Hi,” Jo managed.

 

“This isn’t awkward at all,” Zane muttered.

 

“Shut up, Zane,” both Jo and Zoe said in unison.

 

Zoe’s smile became a little more genuine, and Jo huffed out a laugh. “Look, Dad told me what happened, so I’m not mad at you,” she said, looking at Jo. “I’m still pissed off at _you_ , though,” Zoe added, glaring at Zane. “But I’m here for my dad and Allison. So, put me to work.”

 

“Did you okay this with your dad?” Zane asked. “Because I don’t want him any madder than he already is.”

 

“I talked to him this morning. He seemed to think you could use some help sorting through the data,” Zoe replied.

 

Jo hesitated, then said, “I was just going to walk Zane down to his lab for a change of clothes. We can work from my office or his.”

 

“Yours is probably more comfortable,” Zoe replied. “Why don’t I meet you there?”

 

They watched her go, and Zane sighed. “That went better than I might have expected.”

 

“Zoe was probably the mature one in the relationship,” Jo replied.

 

Zane couldn’t find it in him to laugh. Jo was probably right. “How much different am I than that guy you knew?”

 

Jo stared at him, clearly surprised by the question. “Zane—”

 

“I mean it,” he replied. “I must have been different, and I have to wonder why, you know?”

 

Jo shook her head. “I wish I could answer that question.”

 

Zane scrubbed a hand over his face and took a deep breath. “Okay,” he said. “I guess we have work to do.”


	6. Bumps in the Road

**“If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere.”  
~ Frank A. Clark**

 

Jack had _not_ been having a good morning. He was down a uniform after getting chewed on, and he’d been too busy to get his others cleaned, which meant that he was in plainclothes today. Granted, Allison wanted him to take the day off, but with everything that had been happening, Jack felt the need to be armed. He ended up wearing his shoulder holster, which he hadn’t pulled out since his days as a marshal. What had once been second nature now just felt wrong.

 

After gathering his uniforms to take to the dry cleaner, he’d gone downstairs to discover that Jo hadn’t come home, and he had a message from Andy about a bomb at GD—a message that SARAH had been asked not to give him until he woke up.

 

And then Zoe had bullied him into letting her help with their investigation.

 

“No,” Jack said for what had to be the tenth time. “I told you, you’re not getting involved.”

 

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Dad, I’m an adult, and I’m involved. If you don’t _give_ me something to do, I’ll _find_ something.”

 

His daughter was just stubborn enough to do it, and Jack knew when he was beat. “You’ll have to work with Zane,” he warned her.

 

“I’ll deal with it,” Zoe replied. “He didn’t break my heart, Dad.”

 

“You sure about that?” Jack asked. “Nathan offered to hold him down while I beat him up.”

 

A reluctant smile pulled at her lips. “I’ll let you know.” She looked puzzled. “So, what’s going on with you guys?”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Zoe raised an eyebrow. “You, Allison, and Dr. Stark have been spending a ton of time together, and I know that Jenna is his daughter, but… It’s still a lot of time.”

 

Jack rubbed his chin. “We’re trying to figure it out.”

 

“But you and Allison are okay?” Zoe pressed.

 

“We’re solid,” Jack assured her. “There’s nothing to worry about.” He glanced at the clock. “I’ve got to get going. I told Andy I’d stop by the station before I went up to GD.”

 

“Maybe I’ll see you there,” Zoe replied.

 

Jack dropped his uniforms off at the dry cleaner on his way to the station, and walked inside to find Andy wearing a very smug smile.

 

“Is it casual day?” Andy asked.

 

“Technically, I’m off duty right now,” Jack replied. “What have you got for me, Andy?”

 

“The chemical used to make the bomb isn’t readily available,” Andy said immediately. Jo would have strung out the suspense, and Jack was grateful that his current deputy wasn’t so inclined. “I traced several purchases and eliminated unlikely prospects. I’ve narrowed the suspects down to a single person.”

 

Jack whistled. “Good job. Who is it?”

 

“Dr. Roland Green. He does research in the area of nuclear fission, and he buried the request for the bomb materials in a list of requisitions,” Andy said. “There aren’t a lot of applications for it within his field, and none of his current projects uses it. At the very least, we have enough to bring him in for questioning.”

 

“Do you know if he’s at Global now?”

 

“I alerted security. They said he usually arrives around 9, so there’s still some time to try to catch him at home.” Andy rose. “Do you want to stop by his house?”

 

Jack nodded. “Yeah, let’s try to head him off. I don’t want to risk him running.”

 

“You got it, Sheriff. Should we take two vehicles?”

 

“Yeah, but no lights or sirens. Let’s not spook him.”

 

Jack called Allison as soon as he climbed in the Jeep. “We’re going to pick up Roland Green for the bombing,” he said once they’d said their hellos. “Andy and I are headed over there now.”

 

He could hear the clear disapproval in her voice. “Jack, what did I tell you about working?”

 

“I’ve got Andy for backup,” Jack replied, wishing it were Jo. “And I’ll be careful.”

 

“You’d better. If I have to patch you up again, I’m not going to be happy,” she warned.

 

Jack pulled up in front of the address Andy had given him. “I’ll call as soon as I can. I love you.”

 

“Love you too,” she sighed. “Come back in one piece, Carter.”

 

He knew Allison meant business when she used his last name these days, and he grimaced. His shoulder still hurt like a son of a bitch, but at least it was his left, not his right—although it wouldn’t matter if he tore any stitches, because Allison would kick his ass.

 

When Andy joined him in front, wearing a serious expression and already having his weapon out, Jack found himself grateful that Andy was on the cutting edge, and fully capable of taking down a suspect, no matter the setting.

 

“Ready?” Jack murmured.

 

Andy nodded. “Whenever you are, Sheriff.”

 

“Go around back just in case,” Jack ordered.

 

Jack hoped that not having a warrant wouldn’t bite him in the ass later on. In the four years he’d been in Eureka, he’d never needed to obtain one. Hell, most of the time, the DOD took the person off his hands before he could even begin the interrogation.

 

Keeping off to one side—out of the line of fire—Jack knocked on the door and called out, “Dr. Green! It’s Sheriff Carter. I need to talk to you.”

 

When he heard only silence, Jack knocked again. “This isn’t up for debate, Doctor.”

 

He heard cursing from behind him and turned to see Andy holding onto a short, thin man, who was struggling ineffectually. “Dr. Green tried to escape through the back,” Andy said placidly.

 

Jack smiled. “Good job, Andy.”

 

“Should I take him back to the station?” Andy asked.

 

Jack hesitated. “I think that’s probably our best option.” He looked at Green. “I’m placing you under arrest for the bombing at Global Dynamics, and probably the release of the hybrid who chewed up my shoulder. With any luck, we’ll get you for attempted murder, too.”

 

Green didn’t appear concerned. In fact, his expression was smug, and his eyes were lit with a kind of holy fire. “My cause is a just one, Sheriff,” Green sneered. “You’ll come to understand that in time.”

 

“I doubt it,” Jack shot back. “Take him to the station, Andy. Don’t leave him alone. If we need to, I’ll deputize a couple of Jo’s guys until this gets settled.”

 

“You got it, Sheriff.”

 

Jack smiled. He missed having Jo as his deputy, but Andy was definitely growing on him. “I’m going to be up at GD. I’ll head back as soon as I can.”

 

He had to go reassure his girlfriend—and probably his boyfriend—that he was in one piece.

 

~~~~~

 

When Jack walked into the infirmary under his own steam and looking none the worse for wear, Allison breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Jack gave her a quick kiss hello. “We got him. He all but confessed, but I’m going to question him in depth later.” He glanced around. “How’s Henry?”

 

“He’ll be fine,” Allison assured him. “He got banged up, but it could have been much worse.”

 

“Can I see him?”

 

“Fargo’s with him now, but I think Henry’s up for it.” Allison led him back to an isolated corner. Grace had reluctantly left the infirmary half an hour before when Fargo had shown up, and Nathan had checked in briefly before joining Jo, Zane, and Zoe in Jo’s office.

 

Henry grinned as they approached. “Hey, Jack. How’s the shoulder?”

 

Jack pulled up the second chair by the bed. “Much better, but the real question is how are _you_?”

 

“A few burns, some cuts and bruises,” Henry replied dismissively. “And smoke inhalation. I’m lucky Zane got there when he did.”

 

Jack’s bemused expression said more than words could. “I may have to reevaluate our resident delinquent.”

 

“I think Jo was right,” Henry replied. “He’s still Zane underneath. Fargo, why don’t you fill the Sheriff in?”

 

Fargo nodded. “General Mansfield will be here next week, but the lead investigator is arriving the day after tomorrow. Colonel Barnes is going to start the interviews when he gets into town.”

 

“We’ll have something to give him,” Jack promised. “We got the guy responsible for releasing the hybrid and planting the bomb this morning, and I think we can reliably say that he’s a member of the Trust.”

 

“Who?” Henry demanded.

 

“Roland Green,” Allison said. “I knew he was a little eccentric, but that’s par for the course here.”

 

Jack leaned back in his chair. “More than eccentric—he’s a fanatic. I’ve seen a few of them in the past, and he definitely qualifies.”

 

Henry’s mouth twisted in a pained grimace. “I don’t know him well, but—what did he hope to gain from this?”

 

“What was in your lab, Henry? Were you working on any big projects?” Jack asked.

 

Henry considered the question for a moment. “I’d stopped working on our little project in order to review data from Fargo’s experiments with the particle accelerator.”

 

“I asked him to,” Fargo inserted. “I thought that if we could get something useful out of it, Mansfield wouldn’t fire me.”

 

Allison frowned. “We know the Trust wanted to send Grant back to 1947 for their own purposes. Could they use the particle accelerator for the same thing?”

 

“The accelerator isn’t that hard to build,” Henry replied. “But the data that Fargo collected would be invaluable.”

 

Jack’s eyes went wide. “Wait, you think they’re trying to go back to the past?”

 

“Possibly as many times as they’d like,” Henry said slowly. “As many times as they think they need to get it right and remake history in their own image.”

 

“Fuck,” Jack said succinctly, and Allison winced, although she didn’t say anything about his language. She thought he’d summed it up neatly. “What are we going to do about it?”

 

Fargo brightened. “Why do we need to do anything?” he asked. “If they mess with time, they’ll be sanctioned, right? All we have to do is get evidence of that. The DOD will do the rest.”

 

“And with the information Nathan has on Mansfield, we should be able to protect ourselves, too.” Allison felt hopeful for the first time in days; maybe they _would_ manage to come out of this mess unscathed.

 

Jack nodded. “I’ll let Zane and the others know about Green. With his name as a confirmed Trust member, we may have more luck tracking down the others. And we’ll need to figure out why the Trust felt it necessary to bomb your lab, Henry.”

 

“I can work on that,” Fargo offered. “I have a few meetings today that can’t be put off, but I’ll look into it.”

 

“My computer system would have shown any other attempts to access the data,” Henry pointed out. “The bomb was probably intended to cover their tracks.”

 

“And maybe to keep us distracted,” Allison suggested. “If we’re too busy with escaped animals and bombs, we’re not going to be looking too closely at the Trust—and we all know that once they figure out how to go back and alter history, there won’t be anything we can do to stop them.”

 

How many things could they change in one fell swoop? Allison wondered. She knew from experience that no one but the time traveler would know—one day, things would just be _different_ , and they’d go on with their lives as they always had.

 

“They’re playing God,” Jack said quietly, as though reading her mind. “When we changed things, it was an accident. This wouldn’t be.”

 

“We need to stop them,” Henry said firmly. “And soon.”

 

Allison put a hand on Jack’s arm. “Henry should probably rest now.”

 

“I need to talk to Jo anyway,” Jack replied. “And then I need to wring some information out of Green.”

 

“I’ll see what I can get out of Henry’s lab.” Fargo stood as well. “I’ll talk to you later, Henry, Sheriff, Dr. Blake.”

 

“Is it just me, or is Fargo growing up?” Jack murmured in Allison’s ear as she walked him out of the infirmary.

 

Allison smiled. “It’s not just you.” She paused. “Kevin asked if he could sleep over at a friend’s tonight, and Jenna is still with my parents.”

 

She could read the hungry light in Jack’s eyes. “You mean—”

 

“I think we need to get this figured out,” Allison said. “And Nathan—”

 

“—is starved for touch,” Jack finished for her. “He about came unglued last night just from me grabbing his wrist.” He grinned suddenly. “We could use that to our advantage.”

 

Allison’s lips twitched. “This isn’t a competition, Jack.”

 

“We’re guys, Allison. Everything is a competition.”

 

She laughed reluctantly, acknowledging the truth of that statement. “Fair enough. I need to get back to my other patients.”

 

“I’ll be over tonight at 7,” Jack said with a grin. “And I’ll let Nathan know.”

 

“Good.” Their kiss was long and sweet and full of promise, and when Jack pulled back, he was breathing a little heavier. Allison smiled smugly. “I’ll see you tonight.”

 

He gave her a crooked smile. “Absolutely.”

 

~~~~~

 

Jo could remember a time when this wouldn’t have been awkward. If they hadn’t changed history, Jo would probably have been planning her wedding right about now, with Zoe as an enthusiastic participant.

 

She felt her loss all over again—Jo had lost Zane, and then she’d lost her close relationship with Zoe.

 

Carter came bustling into her office, interrupting her regrets and their work. “Where’s your uniform?” Jo asked.

 

“I was out of clean ones, and I’m technically off duty,” Carter replied with a rueful smile. “Although you’d never know it.”

 

“What happened?” Stark asked.

 

Carter found a chair. “Andy traced the chemicals used for the bomb back to Roland Green, and we arrested him this morning. I need to go back to the station to interrogate him, but I have reason to believe that he’s a member of the Trust.”

 

Zane began typing. “That should help. I’ll cross-reference our list of suspects with known associates of Green, and look for other points of similarity.”

 

Stark frowned. “Why would the Trust want to bomb Henry’s lab?”

 

“To cover their tracks after getting into the data from the particle accelerator experiment,” Carter replied. “Fargo’s looking into that now. We think the Trust is trying to change the past, to recreate history the way they’d like it to look.”

 

Zoe whistled. “That would be _bad_.”

 

“That’s our thought, too,” Jack replied. “But if we can gather enough evidence, they’ll be sanctioned.”

 

“Hoist on their own petard?” Stark suggested.

 

Carter grinned. “Something like that. I have to get going.” Jo saw the look he gave Nathan. “Allison’s place at 7,” he said cryptically.

 

Stark gave a jerky nod. “I’ll be there.”

 

Jo frowned, wondering what the heck was going on between the three of them. Her eye caught Zane’s, and he smirked. Jo had the feeling Zane shared her suspicions, and one look at Zoe suggested that she did, too.

 

When Carter had left, Jo looked at Stark. “Anything you want to share with the rest of us?”

 

“No, there isn’t,” Stark said shortly.

 

Zane’s expression was curiously sympathetic. “Hey, we’ve got plenty to do here. We don’t have to talk about personal stuff.”

 

Stark ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, thanks.” He fidgeted in his seat. “I’m going to grab some coffee. Does anyone else want a cup?”

 

“I’d take some,” Jo said, and Zoe echoed her.

 

Zane pointed to Jo’s mini-fridge. “I’ll get a soda soon.”

 

As soon as Stark had left the office, Jo looked at Zane. “Okay, you’re being sensitive. What gives?”

 

Zane sighed. “I just know what it’s like to be told that the people you thought you knew best are completely different.”

 

Zoe winced. “It sucks.”

 

“And Stark, Carter, and Blake were close before, off and on,” Zane continued. “How much does it suck to come back from the dead to find that your two closest friends have paired off? If the three of them are working it out, however they’re working it out, I just think we should leave it alone.”

 

“Something is _definitely_ going on,” Zoe said. “I don’t think my dad and Allison have been alone since Nathan got back. He’s always with them.”

 

Zane grinned wickedly.

 

Zoe smacked him upside the back of the head. “Get your mind out of the gutter, Zane.”

 

Jo snickered.

 

Zoe rolled her eyes. “Oh, my God. Am I the most mature person in this room?”

 

“Not anymore,” Stark replied as he entered with three cups of coffee. “What’s up?”

 

“Nothing,” Jo said firmly. “But I’m going to have to do my rounds as soon as I finish my coffee.”

 

“I think we can handle it,” Stark assured her. “Now that we have a solid lead, it won’t take long to run the rest of them down.”

 

He spoke with his typical arrogance, and Jo felt the sharp twist of gratitude. She had never thought she’d be grateful for Stark’s ego, but she suspected it would be an asset now.

 

Jo was almost sorry to leave after she’d finished her coffee. The silence that had fallen was almost companionable, and Jo was reminded of afternoons spent in the station with Carter, working on paperwork. She missed feeling like part of a team, even though she _did_ like being the boss.

 

For once, Jo managed to make her rounds without incident. She made sure her last stop was Grace’s lab, and she stuck her head in to find Grace perched on a stool in front of her worktable, head in her hands.

 

“Hey, how are you holding up?” Jo asked.

 

Grace managed a smile. “Oh, I’m fine, just a little tired.”

 

“And Henry?”

 

“He’s already itching to be up and around.” Grace breathed out a shaky sigh of relief. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you.”

 

“Zane is the one you should be thanking,” Jo replied. “I didn’t do anything.”

 

“You went in after both of them,” Grace insisted. “That took guts.”

 

“Guts are something I have plenty of,” Jo said. “You know that Jack caught the guy, right?”

 

Grace nodded. “Henry told me when I stopped by for lunch. I’ll sleep better tonight knowing that.”

 

“We’re going to get through this, Grace,” Jo assured her. “We’re going to be fine.”

 

“I know.” Grace smiled. “We have the best minds in Eureka working on it.”

 

~~~~~

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be meeting my dad about now?” Zoe asked, breaking Nathan’s concentration.

 

Nathan looked up from his computer screen, blinking at her, and then at the clock. “Shit. I’m going to be late.”

 

“Go,” she replied. “Zane and I will lock up when we’re done.”

 

He frowned. “I think it’s probably time for all of us to take a break.”

 

Zoe waved off his concern. “I’ve pulled plenty of all nighters before, Dr. Stark. Zane went to grab some food, and we’ll quit when we need to.”

 

Nathan shrugged, knowing that arguing would be pointless.

 

“Dr. Stark,” Zoe called. “I don’t know what’s going on between you guys, but if you hurt my dad, I will make your life incredibly unpleasant.”

 

Nathan suspected that she could. “That’s the furthest thing from my mind,” he promised. “And I think you could call me Nathan.”

 

Her expression warmed a bit. “Okay, Nathan. You’d better get going before they think you stood them up.”

 

He was fifteen minutes late when he pulled up in front of Allison’s house, and he couldn’t help but wonder how this evening was going to go. Nathan knew both of them so well, and not at all, and he was having a hard time predicting the next move.

 

Nathan knocked, and Jack answered the door wearing a blue t-shirt and jeans, with his feet bare. Nathan felt a flash of desire and tamped it down, not wanting to get his hopes—or anything else—up.

 

“Hey,” Jack said with a welcoming smile. “Zoe just called to say you’d be late.”

 

“I lost track of time,” Nathan admitted.

 

“Come on in.” Jack stepped aside to let him enter. “Allison is making dinner if you’re hungry.”

 

Nathan’s stomach growled in response. “Apparently.”

 

“Did you eat lunch?” Jack asked, leading him back to the kitchen.

 

Nathan tried to remember if he had. “Ah, I don’t think so.”

 

Allison gave Nathan a dirty look. “You need to take better care of yourself.”

 

“I was distracted.” His voice sounded defensive even to his own ears. “I didn’t even think about lunch.”

 

Jack hitched his good shoulder. “I’ll just come by and remind you tomorrow.”

 

“We should have more information for you then,” Nathan replied. “What did you find out from Green?”

 

“Not much,” Jack admitted. “He kept saying that I’d see they were right, but he wouldn’t say who ‘they’ were, or what they were right about.”

 

“Figures,” Nathan said. “Did he confess to the bombing?”

 

Jack nodded. “He did, but that bothers me. Usually, when someone confesses to a crime like attempted murder, they’re trying to make a deal, bargain for less time in prison, or at the very least, they’re worried about the possible penalties.”

 

“And he wasn’t?” Allison asked, stirring the sauce.

 

Jack shook his head. “Not at all, and he said something that bugged me, that pretty soon it wouldn’t matter at all.”

 

“They’re planning to change history,” Nathan suggested. “That’s why it wouldn’t matter.”

 

“That’s my reading of the situation,” Jack agreed.

 

“We can’t do anything about it tonight,” Allison said. “So, no more talking about work. We’ve got an evening free of kids, and an empty house.”

 

Nathan’s mouth went dry as he considered the implications. “Ah, are you—”

 

“Let’s eat first,” Allison said with a coy smile.

 

Nathan scratched at his beard. “Do we have to?”

 

“You’ll need your energy later,” Allison replied.

 

Nathan could feel the blood rush to his face before it all headed south. He had no idea what to say, so he kept his mouth shut, not wanting to screw his chances to make his fantasy a reality. He thought he would be too distracted to make conversation during dinner, but Jack asked Allison about Kevin and how he was doing in school, and that got things started.

 

Nathan could almost forget what the probable outcome of the evening would be, at least until they had finished their meal and wine. Then, Jack caught Allison’s eye and raised an eyebrow. Allison smiled and nodded.

 

“We’re assuming you’re still on board with this,” Jack said, leaning back in his chair.

 

“Yes,” Nathan said. “Although I’m not sure what exactly _this_ entails.”

 

“A completely mutual relationship,” Allison said quietly. “We can tell people over time, as we decide to reveal it.”

 

“You’re not a third wheel,” Jack said quickly. “We’re doing this because we think the three of us could be really good together.”

 

Nathan ran a hand through his hair. “You really want to take a risk on this?”

 

“Is it a risk?” Allison asked. “I know how you feel—felt—about us.”

 

“ _Feel_ ,” he insisted. “You aren’t that different. I know it seems that way, but you’re not.”

 

“We’ll have to take your word for it,” Jack replied.

 

Nathan was at a loss for words, which never happened. “So, uh, how are we going to do this?”

 

Allison smirked. “Well, I know how I’d like to start.”

 

Nathan waited to be enlightened, and caught Jack rolling his eyes. “She has a thing about watching,” Jack explained. “And she knows that we haven’t kissed yet.”

 

“I see.”

 

“You up for the challenge?” Jack asked with a grin.

 

Allison smirked.

 

Nathan rose from his seat. “Yeah, why not?”

 

Jack approached him slowly, giving him plenty of time to change his mind. Nathan stood his ground, focusing on Jack—his intensely blue eyes and the tilt of his mouth, the laugh lines around Jack’s eyes and mouth, and the hint of gray in his hair. Jack kept his hands in his pockets, and Nathan knew that he had the first move.

 

Nathan hoped that his hand wasn’t shaking as he reached out to trace the line of Jack’s jaw before leaning in for a kiss. He kept it simple, just the press of his lips against Jack’s. No tongue, not yet, but Jack opened his mouth and traced Nathan’s bottom lip with his tongue.

 

Nathan shuddered, feeling Jack’s touch in every nerve, and then Jack pulled back. His smile was warm and knowing. “Not too bad for a first time,” Jack murmured.

 

“Technically, it was my second,” Nathan replied with a smile. He glanced at Allison, who was watching their exchange with a predatory look.

 

She rose from the table. “Let’s take this upstairs. The dishes can wait until tomorrow.”

 

Nathan followed her, watching Allison’s hips swish just a little more than usual, feeling Jack close behind him. Nathan resisted the urge to pinch himself; this whole situation was like a dream, and he wondered how this could possibly be real.

 

Allison reeled Nathan in for a kiss as soon as they were in her bedroom, and her touch grounded him. Distantly, Nathan heard the sound of the bedroom door closing behind him, but he kept his focus on Allison. She clung to him, her hands clenching in his shirt, and Nathan could sense the desperation in every urgent touch and sweep of her tongue.

 

Two years—it hit him all over again. Nathan had been gone for two years, and Allison had loved him. And _this_ was the real reason Jack had suggested this little arrangement—because he knew the depth of her loss, and he wanted her to be happy.

 

Nathan broke off the kiss to glance over his shoulder at Jack, knowing that this would be the time for Jack to change his mind—to decide that he couldn’t stand seeing Allison with another man, even if Jack was right there, too.

 

Jack’s expression held pleasure, mixed with pain, and he stepped a little closer, pulling Allison in for a kiss. When he turned to Nathan, he wore a determined expression, and his pupils were blown wide.

 

“You’ll probably want to take your shoes off,” Jack pointed out, his voice controlled.

 

Nathan did so, and then began to unbutton his shirt.

 

“Let me,” Allison said, batting his hands away. “Right now, this is about you.”

 

Nathan swallowed hard as she finished on his shirt and popped the button on his slacks, her fingers trailing playfully over the obvious bulge. “I’m not going to last very long if you keep doing that,” he warned her, his voice hoarse and strange to his own ears.

 

“You don’t have to last,” Jack replied from behind him. “You’re starved for touch, and you’ve got a hair trigger. That’s the nice thing about there being three of us here.” Jack’s hands skimmed up Nathan’s sides, pulling his undershirt over his head.

 

Allison caressed his bare chest, fingertips skating lightly over his right nipple. Every touch lit a new fire under Nathan’s skin, and he hissed out a breath as Jack pushed his pants and boxers down to puddle around his ankles.

 

Allison pulled him towards the bed, pushing him to sit, and Nathan was overwhelmed enough to let her. He felt dazed with his good fortune, and he reached up to unbutton Allison’s red blouse, feeling the silky material slide over his fingers. Jack stepped up behind her, deftly unzipping her skirt and letting it fall to the floor, skimming his hands over her arms as he removed her blouse.

 

And then Allison was leaning forward, pressing Nathan back on the mattress, the lace of her bra slightly scratchy on his skin, the lace of her underwear just barely rubbing against his erection.

 

Nathan glanced over her shoulder at Jack, who was carefully pulling his t-shirt off, revealing a well-muscled torso and a bandaged left shoulder. Jack pushed his jeans down over his hips and hesitated only a moment before sitting on the edge of the bed.

 

Allison finished undressing, dropping her bra and underwear to the floor and giving Jack a significant look. Jack knelt on the bed, pushing Nathan to a sitting position and kneeling behind him. Nathan could feel Jack’s erection pressing into his back, and he shuddered, desire making his heart beat in double-time.

 

“You okay?” Jack asked, his voice low and warm.

 

Nathan nodded. “I’m good. I’m just—”

 

“Overwhelmed?” Allison suggested, straddling his lap, stroking him once, twice, three times. Nathan barely held onto his control, not wanting to come so soon.

 

“A little,” he admitted, the words ending on a strangled yelp as Jack rolled a condom on him.

 

“Easy,” Jack murmured. “I’ve got you.”

 

Allison lifted up, then sank down slow and easy until Nathan was buried inside her. She began rocking, and the friction proved too much for his self-control. Nathan came harder and faster than he had since he’d been a horny teenager.

 

Jack’s hands gripped his shoulders, Allison’s mouth covered Nathan’s as her hands stroked his chest, easing him through the aftershocks of his orgasm.

 

“You okay?” Allison asked when Nathan’s breathing had returned to normal.

 

Nathan jerked his head in the approximation of a nod. “More than. Thanks.”

 

She smiled. “Any time.”

 

Nathan twisted his head to look at Jack, whose eyes were darting back and forth between him and Allison.

 

“I want to watch,” Nathan said, wanting to assert a little more control over the situation.

 

Jack’s eyes were hungry and dark, but he still managed to joke, “So, both of you have a thing for watching, huh?”

 

“You enjoyed watching, too,” Allison pointed out, her reasonable tone threaded through with desire and affection.

 

Jack grinned. “You’re both very—watchable.” He slipped out from behind Nathan, and Nathan laid back on the bed, pausing to pull off the used condom and drop it in the wastebasket.

 

Jack was already hard, and he pulled Allison to him. She straddled Jack’s waist, and Jack began fingering her. Nathan knew he must have noticed Jack’s hands before, but they took on a new fascination now as Jack thrust first two fingers, then three, inside her, his thumb manipulating her clit.

 

Allison gasped as she came, and Jack rolled on a condom and thrust his hips up, just as she sank down with a breathy moan.

 

Nathan watched hungrily—Jack’s sweat damp hair, the crease of concentration between his brows, the long, lean lines of his body. Allison’s dark hair swung around her face, her skin a darker hue against Jack’s, her breasts swinging as she rode him.

 

Jack came with a muffled cry, and Allison gasped as she came again and collapsed on top of Jack, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

 

But she reached out to grasp Nathan’s hand, and he held on tightly.

 

“Hang on,” Jack grunted after a minute, gently disentangling himself. “Be right back.”

 

When Jack slipped back into the bedroom, he’d gotten rid of the condom and had a wet washcloth in hand. Hesitantly, Jack sat on the edge of the bed closest to Nathan and ran it over Nathan’s chest and the creases of his thighs.

 

Nathan caught his hand when he had finished, searching Jack’s face carefully in the dim light. “Are you okay?”

 

Jack smiled. “More than.” He handed the washcloth to Allison, then brushed his fingertips over Nathan’s cheekbones, bending down to kiss Nathan sweetly, almost lazily. “Move over.”

 

Allison spooned up behind Nathan, their feet tangled, one arm thrown around Nathan’s waist. Jack lay facing him, twining his fingers with Allison’s, Jack’s hand just brushing Nathan’s stomach.

 

Nathan put a hand on Jack’s hip, closed his eyes, and said, “It felt like a lot longer than two years.”

 

Neither responded, but Jack released Allison’s hand to grab Nathan’s, and Allison tightened her grip around his waist.

 

Nathan felt something in his chest loosen and slipped down into sleep.

 

~~~~~

 

Zane had never been in this exact situation before, but he had plenty of experience caught between an ex and a new fling. The reactions generally ranged from chilly courtesy to screaming, but this vibe was new.

 

This was Jo and Zoe swapping stories and gossip, ignoring him completely. “Do you need any help moving?” Zoe asked after Jo finished describing all the amenities in her new place.

 

“I just have a few things,” Jo replied. “It’s not a big deal.”

 

“With three people it will go even faster,” Zoe said determinedly, and Zane wondered if this was Zoe’s polite way of ushering Jo out the door, or if she really wanted to help.

 

Jo appeared uncertain, but then she shrugged. “Anything not to find Andy coming out of SARAH’s supply closet in the morning.”

 

Zane studiously avoided meeting Jo’s eyes, hoping that no one _ever_ found out that he had been the one to leave Andy with the ability to form emotional attachments.

 

And somehow, helping Jo move led to him standing in Jo’s new living room as Zoe explained that she was meeting Pilar for a late coffee.

 

“Is she matchmaking?” Zane asked as Zoe left with an offhand wave in his direction.

 

Jo shook her head. “She’s trying to get out of the way since we both broke the no ex rule.”

 

“What rule?”

 

“You don’t date your friend’s ex-boyfriend,” Jo explained. “Of course, Zoe didn’t _know_ you were my ex, and _we_ aren’t dating, but the principle remains the same.”

 

Zane tried out a leer in her direction. “Are you planning on making a move then, Lupo?”

 

“Hardly,” she scoffed, but her denial didn’t sound convincing to his ears.

 

“What, the heroics yesterday didn’t do anything for you?” Zane teased. When she flushed, he crowed, “It did!”

 

“What you did was very brave,” Jo replied stiffly. “As I’ve already said.”

 

“Hey,” Zane said, softening his tone. “Look, Jo, I don’t know what the hell I’m doing here. I feel like you already know your lines, and I’m still stumbling along.”

 

Jo crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I don’t know what to tell you, Zane. I loved you, but I fell in love with a different person, and I don’t know _you_.”

 

“Am I really so different?” he asked.

 

He could see her throat work. “No. It would be easier if you were.”

 

“So, have lunch with me tomorrow,” Zane suggested. “I may not be the same guy, but there’s something between us.”

 

Jo sighed. “Yeah, okay. But this is just lunch, Zane. No promises.”

 

“No promises,” he agreed. “I should get going. I have a few things I want to finish up at the lab before I head home.”

 

“Don’t work too late.”

 

“Didn’t know you cared, Lupo.”

 

“If you’re too tired, you’ll make stupid mistakes,” Jo replied repressively. “And if you make stupid mistakes, people get hurt. It’s basic math.”

 

Zane studied her for a moment. “Fair enough. See you tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah, sure.” She walked him to the door, and Zane wondered briefly if he could finagle a goodnight kiss. “Don’t even think about it, Donovan,” Jo said, although he thought he detected a hint of a smile.

 

“You don’t know what I’m thinking,” he shot back.

 

Jo rolled her eyes. “Oh, I think I do. Go home, Zane.”

 

He risked winding a lock of her hair around his finger and heard her sharp intake of breath. “Sleep well, Jo-Jo.”

 

Zane slipped out the front door before she could react. He felt a little shaky, the way he had after she’d thrown his grandmother’s ring at him, and after their kiss.

 

He felt as though they were hovering on the brink of something, and he knew if he screwed this up, Jo would kick his ass six ways from Sunday.

 

And he’d probably deserve it, too.


	7. Push and Shove

**“Every day of our lives we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.”  ~Mignon McLaughlin**

 

Jack woke slowly, his muscles loose and warm, a large callused hand splayed across his stomach. When he opened his eyes, Jack saw Nathan stretched out next to him, a slim, dark arm slung over Nathan’s waist.

 

With a smile, Jack slid out of bed, trying not to wake either of his companions. He slipped into the bathroom to brush his teeth and splash water on his face. When he straightened, Jack caught sight of Nathan in the mirror.

 

“Hey,” Nathan greeted him, leaning against the doorjamb, projecting nonchalance; he was only half successful. Jack could still read the tension in the set of Nathan’s shoulders.

 

“’Morning,” Jack replied. “Did you sleep okay?”

 

“Better than I have since I got back,” Nathan admitted. “What about you?”

 

“I was dead to the world,” Jack replied.

 

Nathan straightened and took a step forward. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m good,” Jack assured him.

 

“You’re not going to run?” Nathan pressed, his forehead creasing in worry.

 

Jack shook his head. “Didn’t plan on it.”

 

“Good.” Nathan moved forward, using his larger frame to back Jack against the vanity, one hand cupping the back of Jack’s head.

 

Jack let Nathan lead, relaxing into the kiss, which quickly grew heated. Nathan’s hands moved down to grip Jack’s hips, his thumbs caressing the skin above the elastic of Jack’s boxers. Jack didn’t recognize the moan that came out of his own throat.

 

“God, Jack,” Nathan murmured as he pulled back. “I wanted this for so long.”

 

“You were all about Allison,” Jack argued.

 

“And you,” Nathan murmured against Jack’s neck, the coarse hair of his beard sensitizing the skin there. “I couldn’t ever decide.”

 

“And now you don’t have to,” Jack replied breathlessly.

 

Nathan glanced up quickly, his eyes bright with mischief. “I _am_ going to fuck you. We’ll work up to it, but I’ll give you fair warning now.”

 

“Only if you go first,” Jack shot back, not willing to give in so easily.

 

Nathan chuckled, and the sound went straight to Jack’s dick. “If you insist.”

 

“Oh, fuck,” Jack groaned.

 

“Eventually,” Nathan teased. “You’re so impatient, Jack.”

 

“You’re bossy.” Jack gripped Nathan’s hands to still them. “This is a change.”

 

“Not really,” Nathan replied, sounding a little more serious. “Do you mind?”

 

“No.” Jack grinned. “I knew you, remember? I was a little surprised you were so compliant last night.”

 

Nathan cupped Jack’s cheek. “There are times when even I need to let go.”

 

Jack felt oddly touched. He still remembered Nathan’s hoarse confession the night before, and the vulnerability in Nathan’s voice. “Whatever you need.”

 

This time, their kiss seemed to go on forever, and when Nathan pulled back, Jack had a hard time catching his breath. “Breakfast?” he suggested.

 

Nathan gave him a knowing look. “Sure. When can we expect Kevin?”

 

“Probably not until noon,” Jack replied. “It _is_ Saturday.”

 

“And he’s a teenage boy.” A troubled expression crossed Nathan’s face, so quickly Jack might have missed it if he hadn’t been paying attention.

 

“What is it?” Jack asked softly.

 

Nathan shook his head. “Nothing. I just—I don’t know that he’s ever going to accept me being here.”

 

“He will eventually,” Jack assured him. “Once he knows I’m not going anywhere, and Allison and I are okay, Kevin won’t think anything of having you around. You’ll become another fixture, and he’ll take your presence for granted.”

 

“Like he does you?” Nathan asked.

 

Jack grinned. “Yeah, but it took him awhile to get there. Give it time, Nathan.”

 

“I have all the time in the world, right?” Nathan leaned in to steal another kiss. “Meet you downstairs?”

 

Allison was still sleeping when Jack emerged from the bathroom, and he found the clothes he’d discarded the night before. When he entered the kitchen, Nathan was already up to his elbows in suds, washing last night’s dishes.

 

“You don’t have to do that,” Jack said.

 

Nathan shrugged. “I don’t mind.” His grin was bright and lightning quick. “I can feel the water and the soap. Taste, touch, smell—it’s all more intense than it was before. I don’t mind washing dishes because it all feels more real than it ever has.”

 

Jack began rummaging in the fridge for breakfast ingredients. “It’s like a new lease on life, huh?”

 

“Exactly.”

 

Jack pulled out the carton of eggs, and then pulled out cheese and a couple of peppers from the crisper drawer. The mushrooms were a little slimy, and Jack tossed those.

 

He’d just dished the first omelet up onto a plate when Allison appeared, wearing a deep purple robe. “Don’t you two look cozy,” she commented.

 

Nathan poured her a cup of coffee. “It’s been a nice morning.”

 

Jack glanced at her. “I have to pick up my uniforms from the dry cleaner, and I’m going to check in with Zane as soon as I’m done with breakfast. Are there any errands you want me to run?”

 

“Nothing I can think of,” Allison replied. “Let me see your shoulder.”

 

“Eat your breakfast while it’s hot,” Jack advised. “My shoulder feels fine.”

 

Allison made a face. “I’m only letting you get away with this because I think you can probably handle waiting that long.”

 

Jack shrugged. “I told you, I’m good.” He flipped the second omelet with a practiced movement. “I didn’t have any trouble last night, did I?”

 

“Not that I noticed,” Allison admitted. “But then, I had my mind on other things.” She took a bite. “This is good.”

 

“Don’t sound so surprised,” Jack replied dryly and flipped the second omelet onto a plate. “Breakfast is the one meal where I am completely competent. I used to make breakfast for Zoe on the weekends, and if we weren’t getting takeout, I’d make breakfast for dinner.”

 

He handed the plate to Nathan. “Eat up.”

 

Nathan dug in with a gratifying enthusiasm, and Jack turned back to the stove. He was grateful for the distraction when he heard the front door open and close, and Kevin’s voice call out, “Mom!”

 

“In the kitchen, Kevin,” Allison called back.

 

Jack glanced over his shoulder in time to see her grimace, and he suspected that she felt much the same as he did—a little disconcerted by Kevin’s presence, and not quite certain how they were going to explain why Nathan was there.

 

As it turned out, they didn’t have to. Kevin stuck his head in the kitchen, stayed long enough to wave, and said, “Dre had basketball practice this morning, so his mom dropped me off early.”

 

“You hungry?” Jack asked.

 

Kevin shook his head. “No, I’m good. Mom, I’ve got to go to the library today for that report.”

 

“I’ll take you when I go in,” Jack offered. “After breakfast.”

 

Kevin shrugged. “Cool.” His eyes skated over Nathan and he waved before disappearing from the doorway.

 

Nathan didn’t say anything; he just shoveled another bite into his mouth. Jack met Allison’s eyes, and she gave him a helpless little shrug. Jack knew that she wouldn’t say anything to Kevin until he’d at least shown some sign that he had accepted Nathan being around.

 

Jack sat down at the kitchen table with his own omelet and began to eat quickly. The time spent with Allison and Nathan had been a pleasant diversion, but now all the worries of the day pressed in. He needed to talk to Andy, Zane, and Jo.

 

He felt as though the entire picture was just out of reach, as though if he just had a few more pieces, he could see the whole thing. He could make things right.

 

“Are you going into Global?” he asked Nathan.

 

“That’s the plan,” Nathan replied. “We’re very close to having answers, and Colonel Barnes arrives tomorrow. Not that he’ll get started right away, but he might.”

 

“I’m going to volunteer to be interviewed first,” Allison announced. “Assuming that we don’t put an end to this before he arrives.”

 

Nathan shoved his now-empty plate to one side. “Do you think that’s wise?”

 

“I think I want it over with,” Allison shot back. “And I think that one of us ought to set the tone.”

 

Nathan raised his eyebrows. “You mean one of the people who traveled back into the past.”

 

“That’s the idea,” Allison replied. “We can make sure that our stories are straight today, and by the time I go in, I’ll be well prepared.”

 

Jack nodded reluctantly. “I see what you mean, and I agree. Assuming that Colonel Barnes doesn’t have a schedule all ready to go, I think that you or I should go first. Henry will probably top his list, too, but I think we can put the colonel off until Henry’s feeling better.”

 

“Let’s do that,” Allison confirmed. She cleaned her plate with a satisfied sigh. “I should get dressed and ready for the day. I’d like to check on Henry.”

 

“And I need to head out, too,” Nathan added.

 

Jack finished up the last of his breakfast and sighed. “Looks like the break is over.”

 

~~~~~

 

“Take a deep breath,” Allison ordered, listening to Henry’s breathing for any signs of lingering distress.

 

Henry breathed in, and then out, ending on a cough. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t be sorry,” she replied with a smile. “We’ll give you one more treatment with the nebulizer, but I think that should do it. Time will take care of the rest.”

 

“So, can I go home?”

 

Allison shook her head. “Is it really so bad in here?” she teased. “All of my patients are always in such a hurry to leave.”

 

“As always, your hospitality is wonderful,” Henry replied dryly. “But I’d like to sleep in my own bed with my wife tonight.”

 

Allison offered a sympathetic smile. “And I know that Grace wants you back home, too. I think I can probably arrange to release you this evening. Now, let’s see those burns.”

 

The second degree burns on Henry’s hands and arms were healing nicely, and Allison breathed a sigh of relief. “You may have a little scarring,” she warned, “but there are only a couple of spots where the burns go that deep.”

 

“Grace will probably tell me that they add character,” Henry said with a smile. “Allison—how are you?”

 

Allison blinked at the unexpected question, feeling emotion well up and choke her. “Sorry,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’m good, actually.”

 

One of Henry’s bandaged hands caught her own. “And Nathan?”

 

“He’s good, too,” Allison replied. “It’s an adjustment, of course, but we all seem to be fitting together.”

 

She stopped, thinking that maybe she had said too much.

 

Henry gave her a knowing look. “And you and Jack?”

 

Allison couldn’t hide her smug smile. “I think we’re both happy about how things turned out.”

 

Henry made a thoughtful noise, but all he said was, “Can I have Grace bring my laptop?”

 

Allison hesitated, but nodded. “Don’t overdo it.”

 

“I promise,” Henry replied. “There’s too much to do for me to be out of commission.”

 

“Speaking of too much to do,” Allison murmured as Fargo rushed into the infirmary, his suit rumpled and tie askew. “I think Fargo was up all night.”

 

Fargo spotted them and hurried over. “How are you feeling, Henry?”

 

“Much better, thanks.” Henry’s eyes were warm with concern. “You look as though you didn’t go home last night.”

 

“I didn’t,” Fargo replied. “I was too busy, but I got confirmation that Dr. Green was the one who accessed the data in your lab, and I’m looking into every communication that he made in the last 24 hours to trace where he might have sent that information.”

 

“Any leads?” Henry asked.

 

Fargo shook his head. “He covered his tracks pretty well. I was just on my way down to talk to Zane to see if he might have better luck.”

 

“Be sure you get some sleep today,” Allison ordered. “With Colonel Barnes coming tomorrow, you’re going to need your rest.”

 

Fargo smiled wearily. “Yeah, that’s not really on the menu for today, Dr. Blake, but I’ll catch a nap in my office if I can.”

 

“Make time,” Allison replied sternly.

 

Fargo shrugged and hurried off.

 

Henry shook his head. “I worry about him.”

 

“If anyone is going to bear the brunt of this investigation, it’s going to be Fargo,” she replied softly. “I’m not sure there’s anything we can do to shield him.”

 

“What about Nathan?” Henry asked. “Surely he could help.”

 

“He’s doing everything he can,” Allison said. “And I’m sure he’ll do whatever we ask of him. I know he’d do just about anything to protect us.”

 

“From what Grace said, I’m sure that’s true.” Henry’s face lit up when he glanced over Allison’s shoulder. “Speaking of…”

 

Grace joined them a moment later, pressing a warm kiss on Henry’s lips that had Allison looking away to give them a little privacy.

 

“How are you?” Grace asked.

 

“I’m good. Allison was just saying that I should be able to go home tonight.” Henry squeezed her hand. “And I can get some work done.”

 

Grace looked to Allison for confirmation, and Allison nodded. “I told him not to overdo it, but I think it will probably do him some good to keep busy.”

 

“That’s good news,” Grace replied, not bothering to hide her sigh of relief.

 

“I should check on my other patients,” Allison said. “Unless there’s anything else you need?”

 

“I think we’ll be fine,” Henry assured her.

 

Allison spent the rest of the morning looking over charts and lab results, although the memories of the previous night were always running in the background.

 

She worried about what might happen if they were found out and sanctioned. Jack and Nathan had argued for leaving the kids with her parents and coming back for them as soon as possible. They had suggested splitting up, laying tracks in three different locations before meeting up again later. Jack had a lot of good ideas for how to disappear; Allison sometimes forgot that as a U.S. Marshall, Jack would have a lot of insider knowledge.

 

If they had to run, Zane and Fargo’s hacking skills would come in handy, and she had her training as a doctor, but Eureka was home. She couldn’t imagine giving it up, just as she couldn’t imagine giving up the relationship that she was building with Nathan and Jack.

 

She could hardly believe that she had the opportunity to have both of them, and that she didn’t have to choose.

 

And if they could just find a way to fend off the Trust and Mansfield and the DOD—they might build a life for themselves, something special.

 

At noon, Allison took a break, heading first for Jo’s office, and when she found it empty, she went to Zane’s lab.

 

“Dr. Blake,” he said with a smile. “Good news.”

 

“Let’s hear it,” she replied. “I could use good news.”

 

“By looking for known associates of Green’s, and cross-referencing that with the information we already had, I narrowed down the list.” With a few keystrokes, Zane pulled up a detailed spreadsheet. “With the information that Fargo pulled from Henry’s computer records, and Green’s communications records, I was able to narrow it down a little more.”

 

Allison leaned in over his shoulder. “You know where Beverly is.”

 

Zane shrugged. “I know where she was as of about 24 hours ago, but I doubt she’s still there. Still, it will be easier to trace her movements.”

 

Allison smiled. “Well done, Zane.”

 

“The bad news is that Green managed to send all the data. Honestly, I don’t know what use it will be, but we don’t know what they’ve been working on. Maybe it will help, maybe it won’t.”

 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t.” Nathan spoke from the doorway. “I have a feeling that anything that’s good for the Trust is going to be bad for everyone else.”

 

Nathan stopped a few decorous inches away, and Allison found that she wanted to lean back into him. Hiding the true nature of their relationship was going to be more difficult than she’d anticipated.

 

“Jack called a little while ago, and said he was bringing lunch up here,” Nathan said in a low voice, meant for her ears alone even though Zane could overhear. “Are you interested?”

 

“We can use my office,” Allison replied.

 

Zane rose. “You can use this space if you want,” he offered. “I’m supposed to meet Lupo for lunch at Café Diem.”

 

Allison exchanged a look with Nathan, and she raised an eyebrow, but Zane didn’t respond to her silent question. He just slipped out of the room with a quick wave.

 

“This is going to be hard,” Nathan said into the silence that fell. “Harder than I thought.”

 

“I know.” Allison was grateful that her voice was so steady. “But there’s no way we can tell anyone until this is settled. It’s safer this way, and Zoe and Kevin—”

 

“Zoe may take it in stride,” Nathan said thoughtfully. “I’m not so sure about Kevin.”

 

“He’ll be embarrassed, but that seems to be his default state at the moment. Jack assures me it’s normal.” Allison laughed. “I never thought—before this, I never thought I’d be taking Jack’s advice on parenting.”

 

Nathan gave her a quizzical look, and she explained, “Since Kevin was autistic, I had to be the expert. No one knew him better than I did, and even I had a hard time understanding him.” Allison gave him a fond look. “Although you came the closest of anyone.”

 

“I was close to him?”

 

“As much as it was possible to be,” Allison said softly, the old grief welling up in her. Nathan might be standing in front of her, but he wasn’t quite the same man she’d intended to marry, and she thought she might understand Grace better now. He was _her_ Nathan and yet _not_ , in almost equal measure, and Allison was still sorting out her emotions.

 

“Hey.” Nathan grabbed her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze, although she could see from the way he leaned toward her that he wanted to do more. “I know it’s going to take time for all of us, but maybe—this is _right_.”

 

Allison couldn’t argue with that, so she smiled and clasped his forearm with her free hand. “It is. One of us should probably call Jack and let him know where to meet us.”

 

“I’ll do it,” Nathan replied. “We’re close, Allie. We’ll get it taken care of.”

 

She believed him.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo couldn’t believe she’d agreed to meet Zane for lunch. She glanced around the crowded interior of Café Diem and wondered if he’d stood her up, or maybe he’d just lost track of time. Dr. Reynolds, who had an offsite lab, had reported some suspicious activity and had asked Jo to check it out that morning.

 

She’d taken Andy along with her, leaving one of her security guys to guard Green, but Reynolds’ report hadn’t borne any fruit. She’d just made it to Café Diem in time, but Zane hadn’t been there. And now, at quarter after the hour, she was beginning to think he wouldn’t show.

 

Jo was just getting ready to gather her things and leave when Zane hurried through the doors, waving at Vincent as he passed the counter and sliding into the seat across from Jo.

 

“Sorry I’m late,” he said breathlessly. “Dr. Blake caught me just as I was getting ready to leave.”

 

“Is there anything wrong?” Jo asked, alarmed.

 

Zane shook his head. “No, I think she just wanted to check in.”

 

“Have you seen Zoe yet?” she asked.

 

“She came in for a few hours this morning,” Zane admitted. “We’re close. The pieces are all there; it’s just a matter of putting them together.”

 

Jo sighed. “We’re running out of time.”

 

“I know.” Zane sounded distracted and put out. “Trust me, I’m aware of just how close we’re cutting it.”

 

“Colonel Barnes might be reasonable,” Jo began. “But I don’t want to count on it.”

 

Zane snorted. “Those military types are all the same.”

 

Jo raised her eyebrows. “Military types?”

 

Zane winced. “Let me guess, you were military.”

 

“Special Forces,” Jo replied. “So, want to tell me what we’re like?”

 

“I couldn’t begin to guess.” Zane gave her what he probably thought of as his most charming smile. Jo had to admit it was effective. “You break all the molds, Lupo.”

 

“Nice save,” she had to admit. “But tell me anyway.”

 

“Hard ass,” Zane accused.

 

She smirked. “You know it.”

 

“If he’s anything like General Mansfield, he’ll be squeaky clean on the outside and dirty underneath,” Zane said with a scowl. “That’s why Mansfield has such a huge stick up his ass. He can’t afford for anybody to think he gets his hands dirty, because they might get too close to the truth.”

 

Jo frowned. “That’s a cynical view. You don’t have a very positive impression of authority figures, do you?”

 

“I haven’t had any reason to,” Zane replied darkly. “Maybe it’s different where you were, but that’s how it is here. Everybody’s dirty, Lupo.”

 

“Even me? Even Carter?” Jo argued.

 

Some of the tension seemed to leave him. “No, not you, and not Carter. You’re both kind of humorless, but what you see is what you get. I appreciate that.”

 

Jo rolled her eyes. “Maybe you just don’t understand our brand of humor.”

 

Zane smirked. “Come on, Lupo. Letting the monkeys out of their cages was funny.”

 

“Funny for who?” Jo countered. “Because I’ll bet the scientists didn’t think so.”

 

Zane shrugged. “What do they know?”

 

Jo felt an unwilling smile pull at her lips. “Probably that they don’t want their experiments disrupted.”

 

“The monkeys were as bored as I was,” Zane shot back.

 

“And are you bored now?”

 

“Not at all,” he admitted. “I haven’t been since I took on this project.”

 

Jo smiled. “So, what you’re telling me is that all that takes to keep you out of trouble is to keep you busy?”

 

Zane shrugged. “I can’t promise to stay out of trouble.” He grinned suddenly. “Admit it. You like that I keep you on your toes.”

 

God help her, she did—not that she planned on admitting it. “I think I could probably give you a hand finishing up the background checks after lunch.”

 

Zane gave her a knowing look, but he allowed the change in subject. “I’d let you finish them up. I need to work on the info Green took from Henry’s computer. Fargo is running interference for us this afternoon, so he’s not going to be much help.”

 

“And Stark?” Jo asked.

 

A strange mixture of emotions crossed Zane’s face. “I think he’ll give us a hand. There’s something going on there.”

 

“Going on where?”

 

“Between Blake, Carter, and Stark,” Zane replied. “Dr. Stark showed up with Dr. Blake was there, and there’s something going on. The three of them are meeting for lunch.”

 

Jo frowned. “Again?”

 

“What do you mean, again?”

 

Jo winced. She was still loyal to Carter, and she didn’t think he’d appreciate her discussing his comings and goings like this. Still, it was good gossip, and there was no one else she felt comfortable sharing this sort of thing with.

 

“This doesn’t go any further,” she began.

 

Zane made a face. “No, of course not.”

 

“I don’t think Allison and Jack have spent any time with just the two of them, without Dr. Stark, since Fargo brought Stark back,” Jo observed.

 

A delighted grin lit up Zane’s face. “You think they’re trying something with the three of them?”

 

“I have no idea,” Jo said repressively, “and I’m not going to ask.”

 

Zane raised his hands, as though in surrender. “Oh, I’m not going to ask. I’m pretty sure that Stark could kill me with his brain.”

 

The laugh escaped Jo’s lips before she could pull it back. “He probably could.”

 

“But you noticed it, too?” Zane pressed, his playful grin pulling a matching grin out of Jo. “I definitely got a threesome vibe.”

 

Jo shook her head, but she laughed. She’d almost forgotten how easily Zane made her laugh. “I’m not saying anything else.”

 

Zane’s grin softened. “You’re really pretty when you laugh.”

 

The laughter died, and the ensuing silence grew charged. Jo swallowed hard. “I—”

 

“I did get a few more interesting tidbits on Mansfield,” Zane said, cutting her off. Jo honestly had no idea what she might have said. “Do you want a preview?”

 

“Yes,” she managed. “Absolutely.”

 

“It turns out that he has an apartment that his wife doesn’t know about,” Zane said. “I know we’re keeping this information as an ace in the hole, but I want to be a fly on the wall when someone confronts him with it.”

 

“Do you think we’ll need it?” Jo asked.

 

Zane shrugged. “Mansfield is an asshole, so yeah. My vote is for Carter and Stark, by the way. Stark is the only head of GD who ever managed to cow Mansfield, and Carter’s got that whole lawman vibe.” Zane grinned. “And what I wouldn’t give to be a fly on that wall.”

 

The idea of a Stark/Carter tag team brought a smile to Jo’s lips. If Allison had managed to have her cake and eat it, too, kudos to her, Jo thought. That would be quite the coup.

 

“I’d help you bug the room,” she admitted. “Purely for educational purposes.”

 

Zane let loose a delighted laugh. “Why, Lupo. I think this might be a match made in heaven.”

 

She would have thought the same at one point, Jo thought, and she kept the smile on her face with some difficulty. “We’ll see,” is all she’d say.

 

But Jo had more hope than she’d had since Founders Day.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan saved his progress around six and leaned back in his chair, stretching slowly. “I think we have a good preliminary picture. We’ll certainly have enough to take it to Barnes by the time we finish putting the pieces together.”

 

Zane swiveled in his chair. “And you and Carter will have enough to confront Mansfield.”

 

“Why Carter and me?”

 

“Because you have the gravitas, and Carter has the authority,” Zane returned with a smirk. “Lupo and I are going to bug the room first, though, so you’ll have to give us a heads-up when you’re planning on doing it.”

 

Nathan shook his head, although he had to smile. It was probably a sign of madness that the idea of facing down and blackmailing a general with Jack had him sitting up and taking notice.

 

“If we can give you a heads up, we will,” he finally promised, figuring that they probably owed Zane at least that much after all the hard work he’d put in.

 

“Thanks,” Zane replied with a grin, spinning in his chair. “Hey, why don’t you get out of here? I can finish up.”

 

Nathan hesitated, thinking of Allison and Jack, waiting for him—assuming they didn’t have their own agenda for the evening. “Are you sure?”

 

“Positive.” Zane smirked. “I don’t have anyone waiting for me.”

 

“I’m going home to an empty house, too, Donovan,” Nathan replied, hoping that his discomfort wasn’t obvious.

 

Zane smirked. “ _Your_ house might be empty, but I have a feeling that Dr. Blake and Sheriff Carter will be around.”

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nathan replied. “And for the record, I’m not leaving until every i is dotted and every t is crossed.”

 

Zane’s expression turned serious. “I’ll call for a pizza, and I’ll let Fargo know. Dr. Blake said something about sending Dr. Deacon home tonight, but I think Fargo intended to stick around.”

 

Fargo appeared thirty minutes later with three pizza boxes and Zoe on his heels. “I can’t stay long,” Fargo said. “The five of us are meeting at Henry’s to get our stories in order. Andy will be here to fill in any blanks in an hour or two, and Zoe’s going to help you finish up.”

 

“And then I’m going to L.A.,” Zoe muttered. “Which is totally not fair.”

 

“I’ll keep you updated,” Zane promised. “I’ve got you covered, Zo.”

 

Zoe smiled. “Thanks. How was the lunch with Jo?”

 

“I think it went as well as could be expected,” Zane replied, snagging a piece of pizza from the first box Fargo opened. “You okay?”

 

Zoe shrugged. “I’ll be a lot better when I know my dad’s safe.”

 

“Then let’s get back to work,” Nathan said.

 

Putting the data together wasn’t difficult, but it was time-consuming. There were so many pieces, and all of it needed to be laid out just so to lead Barnes in the direction they wanted him to go.

 

An hour later, Jack came into the office with Andy. “Nathan, can I talk to you for a minute?”

 

Nathan frowned, but he rose from his seat and followed Jack out into the hall. “I thought you were meeting the others at Henry’s house.”

 

Jack shook his head. “I was, but we can’t find Allison.”

 

“What?”

 

“Kevin called me about thirty minutes ago. Allison was supposed to go home and have dinner with him before meeting us at Henry’s. She never showed up, and her car is still in the lot.”

 

Nathan ran a hand over his beard. “We need the security footage.”

 

“Jo’s pulling it now,” Jack replied. “Nathan, we have to find her, but we also can’t afford to stop work on this project.”

 

Nathan knew what Jack was asking of him. “Jack—”

 

“Nathan.” Jack put his hands on Nathan’s shoulders. “This is what I do best. I was tracking people down for a long time before I came to Eureka and had to deal with all this wacky science stuff.”

 

Nathan swallowed hard, closed his eyes, and nodded. “I want to help. As soon as we get this done—”

 

“Come find me,” Jack replied. “If the circumstances were different, I’d put you on it now.”

 

“I know,” Nathan assured him.

 

Jack glanced around, and then pulled Nathan’s head down for a kiss. It was sweet and reassuring, and whetted his appetite for more. Jack’s thumb brushed over Nathan’s cheekbone just before he released him.

 

“We’re going to find her.”

 

“I know we will.” Nathan took a step back. “Who’s with Kevin?”

 

Jack made a face. “He’s hanging out in Jo’s office right now. I was hoping to convince Zoe to keep him company if you think you can do without her. We probably don’t need to worry about someone going after Zoe or Kevin, but we can keep them here or at the station with Andy as guard.”

 

“Put one of Jo’s people on guard duty,” Nathan said. “The kids can stay here at GD. They’ll be safer, and we can work on our respective problems without worrying about them.”

 

Jack nodded. “Good idea. Let me just talk to Zoe.”

 

Nathan didn’t follow him back into the lab immediately, even though he knew he probably should. He’d last seen Allison when they’d had lunch with Jack. They had locked the door and closed the blinds, even though they’d done nothing to necessitate those precautions.

 

It had just been lunch, but it felt more intimate after the activities of the previous night. Nathan had tried not to think of all the things he wanted to do, all the ways he wanted to make love to both of them.

 

Nathan had shoved those thoughts to one side, and had concentrated on less stimulating things, because they all had to go back to work after the lunch hour was over.

 

And now he wondered if he’d made a mistake—maybe he should have taken advantage of the privacy, because he might not get another opportunity, no matter what promises Jack made.

 

Jack emerged from the lab with Zoe and Andy in tow. “We’re going to work on finding Allison from Jo’s office,” Jack said. “Fargo is calling Henry and Grace in, and we’ll divide and conquer once they get here. If we can get all the evidence gathered into one place—”

 

“We can focus completely on getting Allie back,” Nathan finished for him. “It won’t be long.”

 

Jack nodded, and clapped Nathan on the shoulder. “I’ll let you know when we have something.”

 

Zoe smiled sympathetically as she followed Jack towards Jo’s office, but her mouth was tight with worry.

 

“I’m almost done,” Zane said as soon as Nathan reentered the lab. “Another hour, with the three of us on it, and we’ll have the full presentation ready to go.”

 

Nathan nodded shortly. “Fine.”

 

Fargo ended his call and tucked the phone back in his pocket. “Henry’s already put out an alert on the intranet, to let people know to call in if they’ve seen anything. He and Grace are going to be here in a few minutes, and they’ll help Jack.”

 

“Pull up a seat,” Zane said. “You know what we’re doing with the information on Green, right?”

 

Fargo nodded. “Just point me in the right direction.” He grimaced. “I’ve gotten really good at giving presentations and reports in the last couple of months.”

 

Nathan hated that Jack was right—he wanted to be out there looking for Allison, going door to door if necessary, but this _had_ to be done, and he and Zane were best suited to the task, since they knew the information best. They could use Fargo’s assistance, but if Nathan tried to hand off his job to anyone else, it would slow things down considerably.

 

If they got Allison back, only to face sanction…

 

Nathan focused on the task at hand. He had to trust that Jack would get her back. That was all there was to it.

 

~~~~~

 

Zane could feel the impatience radiating off of Dr. Stark, and he sympathized. If Jo had disappeared—or Zoe—he probably wouldn’t have handled it nearly as well.

 

“Got it,” Zane finally said, saving a copy of the report to a flash drive, then to his own secure server, and finally to the secure server at GD.

 

“This one, too,” Stark said, handing Zane another flash drive.

 

Zane shrugged and did as Stark asked. He wasn’t one to discount a little healthy paranoia. “Here you go.”

 

Fargo gave Zane a third flash drive. “Better safe than sorry. If we each have a copy, it’ll be harder to cover up.”

 

Zane had to give Fargo props for that level of cynicism. “Any reason to think that we’re going to have that much trouble?”

 

“No, but has anyone talked about what we’re going to go if Mansfield and the rest refuse to listen?” Fargo asked. “I mean, what if they decide that it’s easier to go after us than it is the Trust?”

 

“Then everything we’ve got on Mansfield makes it to the front page of the papers,” Stark said with quiet, steely determination. “We’ve talked about the possibility.”

 

Zane would have been surprised if the sheriff and Dr. Blake hadn’t made plans for every scenario; they would have to when they had kids to worry about.

 

“Who has the information?” Fargo asked.

 

“A friend of mine at the _San Francisco Chronicle_ ,” Nathan replied. “He covered a few projects I was a part of when I lived there, and he can be trusted. If he doesn’t hear from me every week, it hits the presses, and he’s made arrangements to get the information into the hands of every reporter he knows if something happens to him.”

 

Zane whistled. “Wow. You don’t mess around.”

 

Stark smiled, but his eyes never lost their fierce, uncompromising light. “I take threats to people I care about very seriously. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check on Jack’s progress.”

 

Zane watched him leave, and glanced over at Fargo, whose throat was working. “Do you think Dr. Stark wants his job back?” Fargo asked.

 

“Why? Are you thinking about stepping down?” Zane figured he had an explanation for why Fargo had been acting like a lot less of a prick lately, but he liked this Fargo a hell of a lot more.

 

Fargo shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe it would make things easier.”

 

“Do you like the job?”

 

Fargo made a face. “I’d like it a lot more if I could get Mansfield off my back.”

 

“Assuming that you don’t all get sanctioned, I think we can do that,” Zane replied with a smirk.

 

Fargo glared at him. “Don’t say things like that.”

 

“It’s true.”

 

“I want to see if the sheriff needs help,” Fargo announced. “Are you coming?”

 

“Right behind you,” Zane replied.

 

It didn’t take long for them to figure out that the gathering had moved out of Jo’s office into a nearby conference room, which had more space. Jo, Andy, Henry and Grace were sitting around the table, but Stark and Carter were going toe-to-toe in front of the big screen in the back of the room.

 

“We can’t mount a rescue operation when we don’t know where the fuck she is, Nathan!” Carter shouted. “Don’t you think I’m doing everything I can?”

 

“I know you are!” Stark shouted in return. “I just—” He broke off, looking away, and Carter grabbed his arm to hustle him out of the room.

 

“We’ll be back,” Carter called over his shoulder.

 

Zane took the empty seat next to Jo. “What the hell was that about?”

 

Henry sighed. “We have a few leads on Beverly’s whereabouts based on information pulled from Dr. Green, but we don’t have enough for a search warrant. Nathan wants to knock down doors, Jack is a little more cautious.”

 

“Sheriff Carter is being cautious?” Fargo asked. “I thought—”

 

“He’s thinking like a law enforcement officer,” Grace said. “He doesn’t want to jeopardize a possible conviction down the road.”

 

Zane frowned. “What do we have?”

 

Henry reached across the table for the wireless keyboard with a wince. “Three scientists with ties to Green and possible ties to the Trust. All three have labs here at GD, and we know Allison isn’t in the building. Jo already had the security teams run a sweep.”

 

“Off site labs?” Zane asked.

 

“Always a possibility,” Jo admitted. “But there are dozens, and we don’t have enough time to search them all.”

 

Zane leaned back in his chair. “Can I see the keyboard, Henry?”

 

Henry passed it down to him. “What are you thinking, Zane?”

 

“There are a few ways to hide your tracks,” Zane said, talking as he typed, “when you’re renting or buying properties to hide a hostage or a particle accelerator.”

 

“And you would know this _how_?” Jo asked acerbically.

 

Zane smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

 

“As a matter of fact, I would,” Jo shot back.

 

“Children,” Henry said mildly. “Let’s play nicely.”

 

“Like I was saying, there are a few ways of hiding your tracks,” Zane continued as though he hadn’t been interrupted. “The Trust favors one method in particular.” He grinned. “And there it is.”

 

He heard the door open and close behind him, and Carter and Stark took the two empty chairs. “What have we got?” Carter asked.

 

When Zane chanced a look, both of them looked a little mussed, and Stark shifted in his chair. Zane kept a straight face with some difficulty. “We have a Trust agent,” Zane replied.

 

The picture on the screen was of an unassuming woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and absolutely no distinguishing features. That made her an ideal agent, but Zane knew better than just about anyone how to dig up dirt.

 

“Dr. Emily Fields, botany, paid cash for a property just outside Eureka’s city limits,” Zane said. Another keystroke pulled up the deed. “She purchased it two months ago, around the same time our friends from the Trust bought the place where they moved the DED.”

 

“You just found that?” Carter asked.

 

Zane sent a smirk in the sheriff’s direction. “No, when I first started working on this project, I set up a number of alerts. Purchases of property in the last six months, with a red flag for purchases with cash—that was one of the first alerts I set up.”

 

“Well done,” Stark murmured.

 

“I set up another alert the other day,” Zane said, with a grin of thanks aimed in Stark’s direction. “The bridge device was sent to Warehouse 13, so they’re going to have to use something else to travel back in time. There are certain items necessary for a particle accelerator that aren’t easy to come by.”

 

“And they were delivered to?” Carter prompted, leaning forward.

 

“The same address purchased by Dr. Fields,” Zane said triumphantly.

 

“We have enough for a warrant,” Carter said, already beginning to dial as he rose from his seat. “Give me fifteen minutes.”

 

Zane pulled up another window. “There’s another possibility. This might be a red herring.”

 

“It’s all we’ve got right now,” Stark replied. “We’ll check it out and go from there.”

 

Zane nodded. “I guess we’ll keep looking, just in case.”

 

He hated to think that something might happen to Dr. Blake because he hadn’t done his due diligence.

 

“Thank you,” Stark said softly, and he went to stand next to Carter.

 

Carter hung up the phone and cleared his throat. “Jo? You want in on this?”

 

“You know it,” Jo replied, shooting to her feet. “I’ll scramble a team.”

 

“Do it quickly,” Carter ordered. “We leave in five.”

 

“They’ll be ready,” Jo promised. “I put one on standby.”

 

“Sheriff Carter?” Andy prompted.

 

Carter glanced at Stark, and said, “You’re with us, Andy. Let’s go.”

 

Zane looked around the table at Henry, Grace, and Fargo. “So, what now?”

 

“Now, we keep looking,” Henry said. “Just in case.”

 

Zane didn’t think he’d planned for so many exigencies before, but he knew that Dr. Blake’s life might depend on how many bases they had covered.

 

Maybe all their lives depended on it.


	8. The Right Answer

**“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ~Lao Tzu**

 

Jack beat on the door. “Open up! We have a warrant to search the lab and all adjacent buildings!”

 

When he didn’t get an answer, Jack pulled back from the door and stepped aside for Jo, who had a master key. The door opened soundlessly under her touch, and Jack had served enough search warrants and knocked down enough doors to know the place was empty. There was a different, echoing feel to the air than there was in an occupied building.

 

Jo followed him inside, still on the alert, but Jack lowered his weapon almost immediately. “It looks like they’ve left already.”

 

He cleared the room, with Jo on his heels, and Andy not far behind them. They’d been accompanied by a few of Jo’s security guards, and they milled around the lab. Jack could hear the quiet grumbling start as they realized it was empty.

 

“Fuck.” He holstered his weapon and slammed his hand into a nearby wall. “She’s not here.”

 

“So much for a search warrant,” Nathan said as he entered.

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Jack snarled. “You’re not the one who has to answer for deficient warrants.”

 

“No, and I doubt—”

 

“Enough!” Jo’s shout interrupted their incipient fight. “Carter’s right, we needed the warrant. Andy, how long have they been gone? Can you tell?”

 

Andy shook his head. “At least eight hours, possibly more, although there are some residual energy readings. There’s a 69% chance that this was their staging area, and that they’ve now moved to another area more suited to their final goal.”

 

“What the hell would they need Allison for?” Jack burst out. The question had been bothering him since he got the call from Kevin. “If they need help with their plan, they’d have snatched Fargo, or Henry, or maybe Stark. But Allison?”

 

“Maybe it was never about their plan,” Jo said slowly. “Maybe it was all about the distraction.”

 

“Distraction is a time-honored technique,” Andy inserted. “They want to keep us from the truth.”

 

“That would do it,” Jack admitted. “Knowing Allison is in danger… No one is going to be at their best. She’s well liked.”

 

Nathan paced around the room. “What kind of energy signatures are you getting, Deputy?”

 

“Some residual radiation,” Andy said. “Nothing dangerous, but unshielded radiation of this nature could prove harmful over the long term.”

 

“They’re not thinking long term,” Jack said. “At least, not for themselves.”

 

“Would they try sending Allison back in time?” Jo suggested. “Maybe they want her to do their dirty work for them.”

 

Jack shook his head. “Not unless they had leverage, and we’ve got Kevin safe.”

 

“What about the two of you?” Jo asked in a low voice. “If they threatened you guys, she might deal.”

 

“If they threatened Jack,” Nathan corrected her.

 

Jo shook her head. “I know better than that, Dr. Stark. Even if there’s nothing going on between the two of you now, you’re still Jenna’s father, and she’s still connected to you. She’s not going to give you up.”

 

“Jo’s right,” Jack said on a sigh. “In the end, it doesn’t matter who the Trust is threatening. Allison will protect them.”

 

“I can get a list of labs in Eureka that would have what’s needed to power the particle accelerator,” Andy offered. “It’s going to take a little more time, but—”

 

“It’s all we’ve got,” Jack acknowledged. “Work with Zane to see if you can narrow down the list. I’ll knock on every door in Eureka if we have to, but I’d rather not take the time.”

 

“On it, Sheriff,” Andy replied, his characteristic smile absent. “I’ll get back to you with a list.”

 

“I’m going to split my people into groups,” Jo said. “We’ll divide the town into quadrants and go from there.”

 

Jack nodded. “Thanks, Jo.”

 

“Anything you need,” Jo replied, shooting a look at Stark. “See you back at Global?”

 

Jack acknowledged Jo’s sensitivity with a nod. “Give me a call if anything pops.”

 

“You know it.”

 

Another minute, and they were alone. Jack felt as though he was coming apart at the seams. He’d been so certain that they would find Allison, that _he_ would be able to find her. The thought of losing her caused his fragile control to crumble, and he turned from Nathan to lean his forehead against the cool, concrete wall.

 

“Jack,” Nathan said from just over his right shoulder. “It’s going to be okay.”

 

“Yeah.” Jack closed his eyes. “I know. We’ll find her.”

 

“Jack,” Nathan repeated, gripping his shoulders and spinning him around, using his larger bulk to trap Jack against the cinder block wall.

 

Jack opened his mouth to protest, but Nathan took the opportunity to cover Jack’s mouth with his own, thrusting his tongue inside. Nathan nipped at Jack’s lower lip when Jack tried to draw back, and Nathan used his body to keep Jack pinned.

 

Jack fought for a moment, trying to push Nathan away, but the other man had just enough weight that he could control the situation unless Jack resorted to dirty tactics. Instead, he just gave in, going limp against the wall, trusting to Nathan to hold him up.

 

And ceding control felt a hell of a lot better than he’d ever suspected it would.

 

Nathan gripped the hair at the back of Jack’s head, his lips tracing the line of Jack’s jaw and down the side of his neck. “We don’t have time for this,” Jack managed to say. “And you know it.”

 

“We have time for this,” Nathan murmured against the skin of Jack’s throat. “You need this, Jack.”

 

“Fine, I need it,” he grumbled, hating to admit even that much.

 

Nathan straightened, and pulled Jack into a full-body embrace. “You gonna be okay?”

 

“I lost her once before,” Jack admitted, his voice sounding hoarse and strange to his own ears. “Just before Fargo brought you back.”

 

Nathan pulled him in tighter. “What happened?”

 

“I don’t know exactly,” Jack admitted. He could still remember hearing his own voice on the recording, knowing that if he didn’t do something—if he didn’t stop it—he’d lose Allison. “I was tracking down the DED, and I found a recording with my voice, giving myself instructions on how to save Allison’s life.”

 

Jack took a deep breath. “There was going to be a car wreck. I didn’t see it, but—”

 

“We’ll get there in time again,” Nathan promised. “Was it just you, or did you have help?”

 

“Grant helped,” Jack admitted reluctantly.

 

“And I’m ten times better than Grant,” Nathan replied. “So you’re already ahead.”

 

Jack couldn’t prevent the laugh from escaping. “Yeah, you are, and I am.”

 

“I won’t tell you to quit worrying,” Nathan said softly. “But you’re not the only person who’s worried about Allison. Stop acting like her safety rests solely on your shoulders.”

 

Jack leaned his forehead against Nathan’s shoulder. “Yeah, okay. I’ll try.”

 

“Good.” Nathan pressed his lips against Jack’s temple. “Let’s get moving.”

 

~~~~~

 

Allison worked at the bonds around her wrists. Beverly and the other Trust agents hadn’t used handcuffs, but the zip-ties were made of strong stuff. She’d tensed her muscles as much as she could when they bound her, but the agents had known what they were doing.

 

They were in an off site lab, but one Allison didn’t recognize. A gray van had pulled up next to her as she walked to her car in the parking garage; Allison hadn’t noticed it until it was too late. She had been too busy thinking about getting home to Kevin, and everything else they had yet to do, to pay attention to her surroundings.

 

The next thing she knew, she was being dragged into the van, yanking her hands behind her back, and pulling a hood over her head. She had struggled, but there had been too many of them, and they’d kept her in the van, in the dark, for what felt like hours, until they’d arrived here at the lab.

 

Kevin would have called Jack by now, and Jack and Nathan would be frantic. She had no doubt they would find her, but would they be in time?

 

“You can stop trying to get free,” Beverly said, not looking up from her computer screen. “And I laid down enough red herrings to keep the sheriff busy for the next week. By the time they find you, it will be too late.”

 

“ _That’s_ what you want me for?” Allison demanded, feeling oddly insulted. “I’m a distraction?”

 

“The best kind of distraction,” Beverly said with a smile. “You’re the personal kind. We thought about kidnapping Kevin, but I’m not interested in harming children.”

 

Allison felt the rage rise up to choke her. “You’d go after my son?”

 

“You got your daughter out of town,” Beverly said. “Oh, relax, Dr. Blake. In a few hours, this won’t matter at all. You’ll wake up somewhere with no memory of what came before, in a bright new world.”

 

“That’s assuming I exist,” Allison shot back. “And what about you? You do realize that by changing the past, you could—”

 

“This is bigger than you or me,” Beverly said evenly. “We’re creating a world where scientific progress is used for the betterment of humanity, instead of coming up with new and different ways to kill.”

 

“And you’re the one who’s going to determine that?” Allison asked.

 

“We’re the Trust.” Beverly intoned the words with a smug smile. “We are the best and the brightest, Dr. Blake. No one is more qualified to steer the course of history.” She turned back to her computer. “I thought about asking you to be the one to go back to change the past, but I don’t think I could trust you.”

 

Allison didn’t bother denying it. Beverly returned to ignoring her, speaking to Dr. Fields in a low voice, turning to check in with Dr. Walter James. She had no idea what a botanist was doing working with the Trust—that was a specialty that didn’t seem useful to them. Dr. James was an astrophysicist, however, and he might have some idea of how to use the data from Fargo’s experiment.

 

She tried shifting surreptitiously, trying to work the bonds down over her thumb. She probably would have managed it if they’d used rope, but there was no give in the plastic, and the base of her palm was too wide to slip out.

 

Allison sure as hell wasn’t going to just sit here and watch Beverly remake the world in her own image, though. She knew the ramifications of changing the past—her son could be changed again, her daughter might not exist, Nathan might still be dead, and Jack might never have come to Eureka.

 

There were a thousand possibilities, and none of them were good.

 

~~~~~

 

Jo leaned against the wall of the lab, watching as Zane and Stark worked feverishly to narrow down possible locations. Jo had never realized that there were so many fucking labs in Eureka, so many places where the Trust could set up.

 

She already had three teams out searching, but she didn’t think they’d find Allison that way. There were too many possibilities. Carter had wanted to be out with them, but he also wanted to be with the team who found Allison, and they had to narrow down the possibilities first.

 

“Jack!” Kevin pushed his way into the lab, with Zoe right behind him. “Have you found my mom?”

 

Carter had been leaning against the wall next to Jo. He pushed himself upright wearily, meeting Kevin in the doorway and putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “We’re still looking, Kev,” Carter assured him. “Let’s go out into the hall, huh?”

 

Jo edged over to the doorway, the better to overhear if possible. “I thought you were going to go home and get some sleep,” Carter said.

 

“I can’t sleep with Mom missing!” Kevin argued.

 

Carter sighed. “I know. Have you eaten anything?”

 

Kevin shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

 

“You have to eat,” Carter insisted. “Your mom would want you to take care of yourself.”

 

Kevin scowled. “That’s a low blow. I want to help.”

 

“There isn’t anything you can do,” Carter said. “We’re going to have to knock down a few doors, and I need to make sure you and Zoe are safe. I can’t afford to worry about you and your mom both right now.”

 

Kevin rolled his eyes and heaved a put-upon sigh, but finally nodded. “Okay.”

 

“I’m going to call Vince,” Zoe said. “Everybody’s going to need to eat before the night is out, and he told Henry that he wanted to help.”

 

Carter nodded. “Good thinking, Zo. Thanks.”

 

Zoe headed down the hall, pulling out her cell phone, and Carter slung an arm over Kevin’s shoulders. “We’re all worried about her.”

 

Kevin’s reply was so quiet Jo had to strain to hear. “I was really mad at her about Nathan.”

 

“What about him?” Carter asked.

 

“It was always weird, you know?” Kevin asked. “I mean, sometimes she was with him, but sometimes she wasn’t. And Mom would never tell me.”

 

“She wanted to protect you,” Carter said.

 

“I thought that when he came back, it would be like it was, and—I didn’t want anything to change,” Kevin admitted.

 

Carter leaned his head against the wall. “You can’t stop things from changing, but you can roll with the punches. I can promise you that your mom, Nathan, and I are working things out, though. I’m not going anywhere, but Nathan isn’t either.”

 

“What if you don’t get her back?” Kevin asked.

 

“Not an option,” Carter said flatly. “That’s not even an option.”

 

Zoe appeared again. “Vincent is bringing food for everybody. He was already planning on it before I called, so he should be here soon.”

 

Carter glanced over his shoulder into the room. “Jo, call if you find anything. I’m going to take a walk.”

 

Jo nodded. “Sure thing.”

 

Carter led Kevin off down the hallway, speaking in a low voice that faded quickly. Jo joined Zoe in the hall, thrusting her hands in her pockets, wishing there was more she could do.

 

“Are you okay?” Jo asked finally.

 

Zoe shrugged. “I’ve been trying to keep Kevin calm, but there’s not a lot to do here, and we can’t go back to the house. Dad’s right. We’re both safer here.”

 

“The Trust hasn’t made a move on you guys,” Jo pointed out. “And there’s no reason to kidnap Allison, other than creating a distraction.”

 

“Well, it’s working,” Zoe said sourly. “Dad should be focusing on the DOD investigation, but instead he has to worry about this crap.”

 

Jo sighed. “I know. This is going to be difficult enough, and who knows what Barnes is going to say when he gets into town and finds out we lost the head of medicine?”

 

“If he knows what’s good for him, he’ll focus on taking out the Trust,” Zoe replied darkly. “It’s not fair that you guys would get blamed. There are a lot more of them than there are of you.”

 

“And they have better connections,” Jo added. “We’re just—” She stopped, not wanting to continue. They were practically sitting ducks, but Zoe didn’t need to hear that from her. “We’ll get this figured out. We always do.”

 

They stood there in silence for what felt like a long time, and then Zoe drew in a breath and asked, “So, how are you and Zane?”

 

Jo raised her eyebrows. “Do you really want to know?”

 

Zoe rolled her eyes. “I’m not heartbroken, Jo. I liked him—a lot—but he’s kind of an ass.”

 

Jo smiled. “He is.”

 

“So, is that going to stop you?”

 

“It’s going to take us some time to get to know each other again,” Jo replied. “And I don’t know what’s going to happen, but—Henry and Grace made it work. Maybe we can, too.”

 

Zoe nodded, then looked over Jo’s shoulder. “Vince is here, and it looks like he brought enough food to feed an army.”

 

“I’ll call your dad,” Jo replied, her stomach growling, knowing that she needed to eat something if they stayed up all night to search labs and kick down doors.

 

~~~~~

 

“We’re missing something,” Nathan growled, frustration coloring his tone.

 

He’d been awake for nearly 24 hours now, and the words on the screen were starting to blur before his eyes.

 

Zane stood abruptly, his chair rolling backwards. “We have a list of every lab here in Eureka. The ones that actually have the power requirements have been searched. We haven’t found any sign of them. Maybe they moved her out of Eureka.”

 

“Not possible,” Jack said flatly. “Where else would they go? The Trust is fixated on Eureka, and this is where they’re going to try to accomplish their goal.”

 

Henry rubbed his hands over his unshaven cheeks. Nathan didn’t think he’d ever seen Henry look so tired. “Nathan’s right. We’re missing something.”

 

Nathan rose and stretched, and began to pace. “Pull up the list of locations again, Zane.”

 

Zane called the list up on the conference room screen. “Here it is. We’ve crossed them all off the list.”

 

Jack straightened. “Is there any reason one of the locations might have gotten left off the list?”

 

Nathan frowned, and it hit him. “That’s what we’re missing. Zane, my old lab isn’t on this list.”

 

Henry leaned back in his chair. “What old lab?”

 

“My old AI lab.” Nathan pulled a keyboard to him and began to type. “It’s not here.”

 

“No, we checked it,” Jo insisted. “You’re talking about the lab on the eastern edge of town, right?”

 

Nathan shook his head. “No, it’s on the north side. Here.” He called up a map, and his eyes widened as he realized that it didn’t include the small collection of labs on the north side. “I know the map doesn’t show it, but they’re there. There are three buildings, and—Dammit! I should have thought of it hours ago.”

 

“We all thought we had a complete list,” Grace said.

 

“Those labs don’t officially exist,” Fargo protested. “Someone erased the records.”

 

“I think we have our answer,” Jack said. “We head out now. Jo, pull your guys together. Nathan, if you’re going to come along, you’re going to wait in the car. Hear me?”

 

“Jack—”

 

“I’m serious,” Jack said. “I’ll have Jo and Andy for backup, plus more security. They’re the best, and I can’t worry about you, too. If I thought I could get away with it, I’d ask you to stay here, but I know you won’t.”

 

Nathan knew he had no choice but to compromise. “Fine.”

 

Jack nodded. “Good. Let’s move.”

 

Nathan stayed on Jack’s heels as they made their way to the Jeep. Jack’s steely-eyed focus was a definite turn-on. When they’d hit the dead end earlier, when Jack’s control had been crumbling, Nathan had managed to get him back on track.

 

He’d caught a glimpse of how good they could be for each other, what kind of team they would make.

 

Nathan had given some thought to what he might do now that he was back, and he’d half-wished for his old job as head of GD, but now he wasn’t so sure.

 

He remembered how often he and Jack had been at odds, and Nathan suspected that the three of them would get along a hell of a lot better if they weren’t constantly fighting each other on how things were supposed to be run.

 

“Look,” Jack said, his eyes on the road as they sped through town, with the lights and sirens a constant accompaniment. “I’m sorry if I was harsh back there, but—”

 

“You were right,” Nathan said, cutting off the apology. “I’d be a liability, and you can’t afford that.”

 

Jack gave him a brief, incredulous look before turning his attention back to the drive. “I was right?”

 

“You heard me the first time,” Nathan shot back. “And don’t get used to it.”

 

Jack’s teeth flashed as he grinned. “Don’t think there’s any risk of that.”

 

“Are you okay to do this?” Nathan asked hesitantly. “Your shoulder—”

 

“I’ve worked with worse injuries,” Jack replied. “I’ll be fine. But thanks for your concern.”

 

Jack flipped the lights and sirens off as they approached, then turned off the headlights as they drove the last block. Nathan glanced in the side view mirror to see the other vehicles doing the same. Jo’s Subaru was just behind them, and she parked next to the Jeep.

 

Instead of immediately getting out, Jack reached down and pulled out his ankle piece, and then handed it to Nathan. “Do you know how to use one of these?”

 

“I’ve handled a gun before,” Nathan confirmed. The semi-automatic was small and lightweight, and Nathan checked the clip and removed the safety. “No problem.”

 

Jack nodded. “When we’re done with this, and we’re all safe, we’ll have to go to the firing range. I think it might be—interesting.”

 

Nathan chuckled. “I think you might be right. Jack—be safe.”

 

Jack nodded and got out of the vehicle. Nathan climbed out a moment later, watching as Jack gave whispered directions to the teams. Jo led a group of security guys around the back, while Andy trotted around the side. One of the security guards, a woman Jo had called Caro, stood next to him.

 

“We’re backup,” Caro said quietly as Jack approached the front of the lab.

 

Nathan held himself still, trying not to fidget. “Do you think we’re going to have trouble?”

 

Caro smiled, but the expression was held no humor or warmth. “ _We_ aren’t going to have trouble, but they might.”

 

She drew her gun and took a relaxed stance. Nathan followed her lead and wished like hell that he was inside.

 

Time seemed to slow down to a crawl, and Nathan swallowed, trying to work up some moisture.

 

“Relax, Dr. Stark,” Caro said quietly. “Lupo is the best, and the sheriff is no slouch. They’ll get her back.”

 

Nathan nodded, but he straightened when he heard gunfire. “Shit.”

 

“We stay here,” Caro insisted, but Nathan could see her almost quivering with the desire to go in.

 

Another long, endless moment passed, and then the front door opened. Caro trained her gun on the door, and Nathan followed suit, but Jack appeared in the doorway, his arm around Allison’s waist.

 

“What happened?” Nathan demanded, rushing forward.

 

“They were close to activating the device,” Jack replied wearily. “Allison managed to rush Beverly just as we burst in. There was some resistance.”

 

Nathan slid his arm around Allison from the other side, not caring how it looked to anyone else at the moment. “Allison?”

 

“I’m fine,” she assured him, her voice weary. “Just tired, and Beverly—”

 

“She hit her head,” Jack said in an undertone. “Beverly did. She didn’t make it.”

 

Nathan realized what Jack meant, that Allison had been responsible for Beverly’s death. He let Jack help her into the Jeep, and Nathan caressed her cheek briefly before climbing into the passenger side.

 

“We’ll get you checked out at GD,” Jack said quietly. “Andy’s handling cleanup here.”

 

“Kevin?” Allison asked.

 

“We kept him at GD,” Jack replied. “Zoe’s with him. You’ll see him when we get there.”

 

Allison leaned her head against the window. “Good. Thank you, Jack.”

 

Nathan glanced over at Jack with a questioning look. Jack shook his head, his face grim. “Later,” he said in an undertone.

 

Nathan looked out his own window at the steadily lightening sky and wondered how this was going to end.

 

~~~~~

 

Zane could have gone home; Jo had called to let them know that they’d found Allison and the Trust agents, and that it was all over. He couldn’t bring himself to leave, not before he’d seen that Jo was okay for himself.

 

He stretched out on the couch in one of the out-of-the-way labs he knew of, leaving word with Fargo and Henry as to where he would be. Zane had learned to nap when and where he could, and he was asleep within minutes.

 

Zane woke instantly when someone shook him. “Yeah, yeah, I’m up.” He blinked as he recognized Jo. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Dr. Li just sent Allison home,” Jo replied. She had dark circles under her eyes but a smile on her lips. “She’s a little shaken up, but she’s going to be fine.”

 

“What happened?” Zane asked, rubbing his eyes.

 

“Beverly was ready to activate the device. Fargo looked at it, but there’s really no way to tell if it would have worked,” Jo began. “Allison’s hands were tied, but she still managed to rush Beverly, who went down and hit her head on the corner of the lab table. She died instantly.”

 

Zane winced. “It would have been nice to question her.”

 

“It would have, but Allison couldn’t take that risk.”

 

“I’m not blaming her,” Zane said quickly. “It just sucks.”

 

Jo nodded. “Henry volunteered to meet Colonel Barnes. He got a few hours of sleep, so he’s doing better than the rest of us.”

 

“I’m okay,” Zane protested.

 

“You’re probably not the best choice,” Jo replied, smiling to take the sting out of her words. “You should go home and get some sleep. You’ve been working hard the last few days.”

 

“We’ve all been working hard.” Zane stood, however, thinking longingly of a hot shower and a change of clothes—and maybe another 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. “What about the others?”

 

“Carter and Stark went home, maybe with Allison, maybe not. I didn’t ask,” Jo said. “Henry and Grace went home a few hours ago to get some rest before Barnes arrives. Fargo just left. That just leaves you and me, and we’re leaving, too.”

 

Zane nodded. “Yeah, I could use more sleep.”

 

Jo pulled his head down and pressed her lips to his cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

 

Zane smiled. “Definitely. For dinner, maybe?”

 

Jo nodded. “I think I could manage that.”


	9. The Fine Art of Blackmail

**“There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul.” ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox**

 

Jack hadn’t let go of Allison since he’d stormed into the lab to see her crouched behind a lab bench, with Beverly already dead on the floor and a couple of goons firing at Andy. Andy had walked right in through the back of the lab, drawing the attention of the Trust’s security force.

 

If Andy were a real boy, Jack would have taken the deputy out for a beer, because his assistance had made it possible to get in and out without casualties.

 

At least, without any casualties other than Beverly and a couple of Trust goons, Jack thought. He’d take the win.

 

“Are you okay?” he asked for what was probably the tenth time.

 

Allison managed a shaky smile. “I’m fine, Jack. You heard Dr. Li. Other than the abrasions on my wrists, I’m in perfect health.”

 

Kevin sat on the other side of the bed, gripping Allison’s hand. “You really kicked some ass, Mom.”

 

She frowned. “Kevin, language.”

 

Jack smiled at Kevin. “He’s right, Allison. You were great.”

 

“I just want to go home,” Allison replied. “Would you mind driving, Jack?”

 

“Absolutely,” he replied. “Anything you need.”

 

“Nathan, would you help Kevin gather his things?” Allison asked.

 

Nathan glanced at Jack, who gave a short nod. “Sure,” Nathan said. “Come on, Kev.”

 

“Allison,” Jack began. “Are you—”

 

“I need to be alone with Kevin for a while,” Allison said. “And I’m going to call my parents and ask them to bring Jenna home. I need to be with my kids.”

 

He nodded. “I understand. I told you, anything. Whatever you need.”

 

“Come over this afternoon,” Allison replied. “But—don’t let Nathan go home alone, okay? He needs you, and you need him.”

 

Jack shook his head. “How do you know us so well?”

 

“Because I love both of you,” Allison replied. “Jack. Thank you.”

 

He couldn’t keep the desperation out of his kiss, drinking her in, trying not to think about how close he’d come to losing her—again. “I will always come for you,” he whispered. “You never need to worry about that.”

 

“I wasn’t worried,” Allison replied. “I knew you’d come. And I knew that Nathan would be there, too.”

 

“Are you going to be okay?” Jack asked in a low voice. “I know my first kill—it was bad.”

 

Allison shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m a doctor, Jack. I took an oath to preserve life, and—I don’t know.”

 

“If it makes you feel any better, you didn’t have a choice,” he murmured. “If you hadn’t acted when you had, we could have lost everything.”

 

“It doesn’t make me feel any better,” Allison replied. “But thank you for trying.”

 

Jack pressed his forehead against hers. “I love you so much I can hardly think straight.”

 

“Me, too. Knowing you were looking for me, knowing that I had you and my kids to fight for—” Allison smiled. “It was everything to me.”

 

Jack framed her face with his hands. “I don’t think we could survive without you.”

 

Allison covered his hands with hers. “Take Nathan home, Jack. Get things settled between you, and then, tonight…”

 

“Tonight,” Jack promised. “I’m going to hold you to that, Allie.”

 

Her mouth trembled. “I’ll be ready for you tonight.”

 

Jack kissed her tenderly. “Okay.”

 

Nathan appeared a moment later, his arm around Kevin’s shoulders. “Hey, you guys ready to go?” he asked.

 

“Yes,” Allison replied. “Absolutely.”

 

Jack drove Allison and Kevin home, and then glanced over at Nathan in the passenger seat. “Your place or mine?”

 

Nathan blinked, appearing uncertain. “I thought—”

 

“Allison gave specific instructions,” Jack replied with a smile. “She wants to be with Kevin, and her parents are bringing Jenna back, but she doesn’t want either of us to be alone.”

 

Nathan appeared to absorb the information. “My place. Zoe’s going to be home, and I doubt you want to have that conversation now.”

 

“Zoe doesn’t have to know, and she said she wanted to see me,” Jack countered. “But if it comes up, you took the guest room.”

 

Nathan laughed. “And if she sees me coming out of your bedroom?”

 

Jack grinned. “You had nightmares.”

 

“Probably not too far from the truth,” Nathan murmured. “I don’t expect to sleep well.”

 

“Then it’s probably best that you come home with me,” Jack replied.

 

Zoe was sitting on the couch when they walked in, reading a book.

 

“I thought you’d be asleep,” Jack said.

 

She shrugged. “I didn’t think I’d be able to, and I wanted to see you.” Zoe looked at Nathan. “I don’t know what strings you pulled, but thanks.”

 

“You’d be amazed how many people are completely in awe of someone coming back from the dead,” Nathan said with a quick grin. “I didn’t even have to call in one favor.”

 

“Thanks anyway,” Zoe replied. “Mom’s meeting me at the landing strip tomorrow, and I don’t have to deal with airport security. Just remember our deal.”

 

“I call you when I have news, and with every little detail of our meeting with Mansfield,” Nathan said. “Got it.”

 

Zoe rose. “I’ll bet you both want to get some sleep, and I think I could stand a nap, too.” She gave Jack a hug. “I’m glad you’re home.”

 

“So am I, Zo,” Jack murmured. “Go get some sleep.”

 

Zoe’s eyes flicked from him to Nathan and back again. “Yeah, you guys, too.”

 

Jack had no idea what she knew, but he wasn’t about to ask right now. He waited until he heard her bedroom door close before leading Nathan upstairs. Nathan paused outside of Jack’s bedroom door. “Where do you want me?”

 

“Shut the spare room door,” Jack said softly. “Zoe won’t look inside if the door’s closed.”

 

Nathan crossed the hall and closed the door. “Okay.”

 

“Come in.” Jack closed the door behind Nathan. “Allison pretty much made me promise that you wouldn’t be left alone.”

 

“Does the opposite apply, too?” Nathan asked, advancing on him.

 

Jack shrugged. “Turn about is fair play, right?”

 

“So they say.”

 

Nathan’s kiss held the same desperation Jack and Allison had shared in the infirmary, and Jack gripped Nathan’s shoulders hard. Jack knew that Nathan hadn’t been able to vent his fear or frustration. Jack and Allison had already revealed their relationship, but Nathan didn’t have that luxury.

 

Jack gave up control, letting Nathan manhandle him back towards the bed and strip him naked.

 

“You too,” Jack said hoarsely.

 

Nathan stripped down in a matter of seconds, and then shoved Jack towards the bed. His long, lean body covered Jack’s, and Jack relaxed into the mattress.

 

“I wasn’t sure you wanted this,” Nathan admitted in a low voice. “I thought—I thought you were doing this for Allison.”

 

“I was,” Jack replied. “Turns out that I’m doing it for me, too. Who knew?”

 

Nathan’s mouth covered his again, and Jack groaned. The first time, with Allison there, most of his attention had been focused on her. But with her permission—her order—Jack could focus on Nathan. Nathan’s mouth on his, Nathan’s hand kneading Jack’s shoulders and stroking down his chest and sides.

 

Jack let Nathan set the pace, Nathan’s body covering his, the long, lean length of him pressing Jack down. Jack shifted so that he could rub off against Nathan’s hairy thigh and reached down for Nathan’s cock.

 

Nathan whimpered in Jack’s ear. “I was going to fuck you.”

 

“Next time,” Jack promised. “Allison will probably want to watch anyway.”

 

Nathan chuckled, and then shifted to get a better angle. “She does seem very interested in watching.”

 

And then there was only the friction, and Nathan’s fingers digging into his hips, urging Jack to move faster, and Nathan’s half-coherent exhortation to “come on, Jack, yeah, _come on_.”

 

Jack came hard, his head thrown back, and Nathan nipped at his exposed throat. Jack managed to keep enough of a rhythm so that Nathan’s orgasm followed his in short order, and Nathan dropped to one side, stretching out next to Jack.

 

“I’m going to need a shower,” Jack said, once he’d caught his breath. “Want to join me?”

 

“I’m going to need another minute,” Nathan replied.

 

Jack smirked. “You’re getting old, Nathan.”

 

Nathan grunted. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d make you regret that remark.”

 

“Promises, promises.”

 

Nathan grinned, and then started to laugh. “We’re probably going to drive Allie crazy.”

 

“So what else is new?” Jack propped himself up on an elbow so he could get a better look at Nathan, whose body was streaked with sweat and semen. “I meant it, you know. What the three of us have—it’s pretty special.”

 

Nathan’s expression softened, and he gave Jack a fond look. “Yeah, it is.”

 

~~~~~

 

Allison was finally beginning to feel human again after a late breakfast with her son, a shower, a nap, and the chance to hold Jenna. She’d had to promise her parents a long visit, and soon, but they hadn’t asked too many questions about why she’d cut Jenna’s visit short, possibly because they were used to Allison being unable to answer questions that had anything to do with her work.

 

Jenna had squealed as soon as she’d seen Allison, and seemed happy to be home. Kevin was staying close, doing his homework in the kitchen while she made dinner, rather than going to his room as he normally would.

 

And once Jack and Nathan arrived, her small family would be together again; she needed that right now.

 

Henry called while Allison was still working on dinner, and she tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder to talk. “Is everything okay?” she asked once they’d exchanged greetings, and she’d retreated to the relative privacy of the living room.

 

“I met Colonel Barnes,” he responded. “He’s agreed to postpone interviews until tomorrow. Fargo and I presented him with the information we’d gathered, and he seemed receptive.”

 

Allison breathed a sigh of relief, grateful for the reprieve. “Good.”

 

“He was actually sympathetic,” Henry replied. “After we’d told him about everything that had happened in the last few days, he agreed that it would be better if he began the interview process tomorrow. The colonel wanted to wait at least that long in order to conduct a proper review of the information we’d given him.”

 

“But he seemed to understand the depth to which the conspiracy went?” Allison pressed.

 

“He had to, considering how many had provided the Trust with inside information,” Henry replied. “I won’t say that we can trust him, but I believe he’ll be an objective party.”

 

“That’s all we can ask for,” Allison replied. “Thank you, Henry.”

 

“Of course,” he said. “And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to spend the evening with my wife.”

 

She could still hear the pride in his voice as he said the word “wife.” She knew that Henry had given up on finding someone after Kim had died. He and Grace were a good match, and Allison was happy for both of them.

 

“Have a wonderful evening,” she said sincerely.

 

“Are you going to be alone?” Henry asked, sounding concerned.

 

“Kevin and Jenna are here,” Allison replied. “And Nathan and Jack should be here soon.”

 

Henry made a thoughtful sound. “Good. You shouldn’t be by yourself right now.”

 

“I’ll be fine,” she insisted. She’d said it so often now, Allison almost believed it. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Of course.”

 

Allison hung up the phone and turned to see Kevin standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. “Are you okay, Mom?”

 

“Sure, baby,” she said with a smile. “A VIP arrived today, and Henry wanted to keep me updated.”

 

“But it’s all okay?” Kevin pressed. “Everything at work is okay?”

 

Allison sighed, knowing that she probably needed to tell him _something_ about what was going on. “There is a group of people who are very interested in controlling Eureka, and any scientific advances that might be made here,” she finally said. “Colonel Barnes is investigating a theft, and he’ll be investigating the people who took me, too.”

 

Kevin didn’t appear entirely appeased. He was a smart kid, Allison thought. He probably knew she was leaving certain things out.

 

“Okay,” he finally said. “Jack and Nathan are coming over for dinner tonight?”

 

“Yeah. Is that okay with you?” Allison asked.

 

Kevin shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. They’re cool.”

 

Since that was pretty much the highest praise an adult could get from a thirteen-year-old boy, Allison didn’t ask any other questions. “Good. Nathan _is_ Jenna’s father. He’s going to be around a lot.”

 

“I know,” Kevin said. “And I know Jack and Nathan are friends.”

 

Allison breathed a sigh of relief. She hoped that would suffice as an explanation for the three of them being together, at least for Kevin. Others might suspect, but she wanted her son to understand that she, Jack, and Nathan were a team.

 

“They are,” she replied. “We’re all friends.”

 

Allison went back to her dinner preparations, and Kevin went back to his homework. When Jack and Nathan appeared half an hour later, they had Zoe in tow. “Hope you don’t mind,” Jack murmured in Allison ear as he hugged her. “Zoe offered to pick up some food from Café Diem if you didn’t have enough, but she wanted to see you.”

 

Allison breathed in Jack’s scent—soap and shaving cream and fabric softener. “I have enough. We’re family, right?”

 

She felt him smile against her neck, and Allison held on tightly. Over Jack’s shoulder, she could see Nathan picking Jenna up from her playpen, bouncing her in his arms as he talked to Zoe.

 

It felt right. It all felt right.

 

“Zoe, what do you know about pre-calculus?” Kevin asked, and Zoe joined him at the kitchen counter.

 

Jack joined Nathan with Jenna, snatching her out of Nathan’s arms, throwing her up in the air as Jenna screamed with delight. Nathan sidled up next to Allison. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

 

Allison had expected the question, and she glanced over at Jack. “Would you stir the sauce for me?” she asked.

 

He smiled. “As long as stirring is all I have to do.” He put Jenna on one hip and took the spoon from Allison. “Go.”

 

Allison led Nathan back to her bedroom and let him pull her into a tight embrace. Nathan, unlike Jack, hadn’t been allowed a chance to give her more than a brief hug. Now, Nathan’s hands framed her face, pulling her into a desperate, searching kiss.

 

“Allie,” he murmured. “God, Allie.”

 

“I’m okay,” she assured him. “I’m okay. I promise, Nathan.”

 

He pulled her in close again, his lips pressing against her temple, the top of her head, and then her lips. “Sorry, I just—”

 

“I know this is harder for you,” Allison replied. “I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t be sorry,” Nathan replied. “I’m not sure I’m ready to go public. We’ll know when the right time comes.”

 

Allison rubbed the edge of Nathan’s beard along his cheek. “Let us know, Nathan. We’ll have to talk about it, of course, but we’ll work it out.”

 

“I know we will.” Nathan gave her a long, searching kiss. “Jack and I—we worked it out. You knew we would.”

 

“I did,” Allison replied. “I thought I might need to get out of the way for that.”

 

Nathan rested his forehead against hers. “When can we do this again?”

 

“Soon,” Allison replied. “I’ll make it sooner if I can.”

 

Nathan nodded. “Sure. Just—give me a second, okay?”

 

“I should make sure that Jack isn’t burning the sauce,” Allison replied, tracing a line down his neck and shoulder and arm, gripping Nathan’s hand briefly. “Take all the time you need.”

 

When Allison reappeared in the doorway to the kitchen, Jack still had Jenna perched on one hip as he traded good-natured insults with Zoe and Kevin. Jack set the spoon down on the counter and glanced over his shoulder, grinning at Allison when he spotted her.

 

Jack’s grin was so warm, so bright, Allison couldn’t resist smiling back. She felt Nathan step up behind her, his hand pressed against the small of her back, and she felt something in her chest relax and uncurl.

 

She thought that maybe everything was going to be all right.

 

~~~~~

 

“Relax,” Jo hissed as Fargo fluttered around the head of the conference table. Colonel Barnes had called the meeting, but as far as Jo knew, he hadn’t told anyone what it was about. Fargo was panicking—quietly, thank goodness—but there wasn’t supposed to be anything to panic about. The report they’d given Barnes had proved that the Trust was responsible for stealing the DED, blowing up Henry’s lab, and kidnapping Allison—among other things.

 

They were safe.

 

Jo caught Henry’s eye, sitting across the table, and he leaned towards Fargo, whispering so softly not even Jo could hear.

 

When Colonel Barnes entered the room, he nodded at Henry and Fargo in greeting and took the seat next to Jo and across from Carter.

 

Carter and Allison, Jo noted, appeared perfectly relaxed. They were surreptitiously holding hands under the table, and Allison’s serene smile suggested she had her equilibrium back after the events of the last three days. Jo had no idea what Stark, Zane, and Grace were doing, but their positions within Global Dynamics didn’t qualify them for attendance at a meeting like this.

 

“Thank you for coming,” Colonel Barnes said formally. “I wanted to give you an update on my investigation.”

 

If Jo hadn’t known Carter so well, she would have missed the subtle tensing of his shoulders. “You’ve finished your interviews?” he asked neutrally.

 

Barnes nodded. “And those interviews, along with the information you put together in your report, has been sent along to my superiors, including General Mansfield.”

 

Jo knew political doublespeak when she heard it, and she could hear what he wasn’t saying—the report wouldn’t be buried.

 

“We’re all quite concerned about the Trust and its activities. Roland Green is being transferred to a secure facility for detainment and a more intensive debriefing.” Colonel Barnes nodded at Carter. “I’m impressed at what you were able to get out of him, Sheriff. He was most uncooperative with me.”

 

Carter shrugged. “Mostly I just let him talk. He seemed rather fixated on me.”

 

Barnes nodded. “Even so. General Mansfield has insisted on personally checking on the progress of my investigation. He’ll be here tonight.”

 

“What about the rest of the Trust members?” Henry asked. “Do you have enough to arrest them?”

 

“We have enough to make a full investigation,” Barnes hedged. “Although I expect to make a few arrests. The report you gave me is incredibly detailed. It will be a help.”

 

Jo kept turning over the ramifications in her mind. If Barnes was satisfied, that meant the DOD might also be appeased, and the danger gone. But if Mansfield had insisted on coming to Eureka to check on the progress of the investigation, instead of being content with delegating his duties…

 

Carter was eyeing Barnes across the table. “What can we expect General Mansfield’s role to be, if you and your superiors are satisfied with the information we already gave you?”

 

“I don’t think you need to worry about the investigation,” Barnes replied. “At least not from the DOD, but the general was concerned about Dr. Stark’s reappearance. I can’t say why.”

 

Fargo cleared his throat. “But the DOD is satisfied?”

 

“We are.” Barnes rose. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a transport leaving in an hour. I need to accompany Dr. Green, as well as the other Trust agents and Dr. Barlow’s body.”

 

As soon as the colonel was gone, everyone around the table breathed a sigh of relief. “This is good, right?” Fargo asked. “He did just tell us that we aren’t under investigation anymore, right?”

 

“He did,” Carter replied, although he was frowning. “Mansfield is going to come after Nathan, though.”

 

“We knew that might happen,” Allison pointed out. “That’s why we have the contingency plan.”

 

Carter ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll talk to Nathan. I think we can deal with this.”

 

Allison shot him a look. “What are you going to do, Jack?”

 

“I’m going to make sure Mansfield doesn’t do anything stupid,” Carter said stubbornly. “Don’t worry about it, Allison.”

 

Allison eyebrows went up, and Jo knew she wasn’t the only one looking on avidly. “Excuse me?”

 

“If you don’t know about it, you don’t have to disclaim responsibility or knowledge later on,” Carter pointed out. “We’d prefer that no one else know what we’re planning.”

 

Allison sighed. “Fine. I guess I’ll have to trust you.”

 

“Thank you.” Carter put his hands on the table. “We’ve bought ourselves a reprieve.”

 

Henry nodded. “Good. You’ll keep us informed as to how things go with Mansfield?”

 

“You’ll know as soon as I do,” Carter promised. “And if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got about half a dozen fires I need to put out.” He glanced at Allison. “See you later?”

 

“I’ll call you,” she promised.

 

Fargo collapsed back in his chair. “We did it.”

 

Jo smiled. “You know, I think we did. I should go let Zane know.”

 

“And I need to talk to Grace,” Henry said, a smile on his face that was unmarred by anxiety for the first time in weeks. “I think we’re going to celebrate tonight.”

 

The meeting broke up, and Jo went in search of Zane. She knew that his position at GD was still in jeopardy, but if Carter and Stark reached their objective and put a leash on Mansfield, Jo thought that Zane might be safe as well.

 

Zane was spinning around in his chair in his lab when Jo arrived, obviously bored. “Use your pull with Fargo to get him to _give me something to do_ ,” Zane said as soon as Jo entered. “Because if you don’t, I can’t promise not to release all the animals from the labs.”

 

“Zane—” Jo began.

 

“And don’t give me that song and dance about being a law-abiding citizen, because that’s not me. I’m a hacker.”

 

“I’ll do what I can,” Jo promised. “I think Fargo might be able to swing it, especially if Carter and Stark do their thing with Mansfield.”

 

Zane waved her to a chair. “Take a seat and tell me what happened.”

 

Jo filled him in briefly. “I don’t think we need to worry about sanction anymore,” she finished. “Barnes was receptive to our report, which is the important thing, and he’s passed it along to people other than Mansfield. I think we’re safe.”

 

“I’m glad, really,” Zane replied sincerely, and then he smirked. “That means I don’t have to break in a new sheriff or head of security.”

 

Jo rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Donovan.”

 

Zane shrugged. “No problem.” His expression grew serious. “Have dinner with me tonight.”

 

“I’m not interested in being played,” Jo objected. “You’ll have another girl on the line next week.”

 

“I don’t think I’m going to get over you that easily,” Zane replied. “Have dinner with me. I can’t promise this is going anywhere, but I can promise you that I won’t be looking until we figure out if this thing is going to work or not.”

 

Jo knew that if she was going to try this thing with Zane that would have to be good enough. She would have to trust that he looking at other women with intent while they were still dating, or she’d drive herself crazy.

 

He met her eyes without flinching, though, and Jo took a deep breath. “Okay. So, dinner tonight?”

 

Zane awarded her with a broad grin. “Yeah. Six?”

 

Jo thought of all the paperwork she had yet to do, but she nodded. “Yes. Absolutely.”

 

It was worth a try, she told herself. She’d never forgive herself if she didn’t take the risk, and so she’d meet Zane for dinner, and Jo would give him the same opportunity she’d given the other Zane.

 

And maybe, just maybe, he’d be worth the risk.

 

~~~~~

 

Nathan woke slowly, cocooned in blankets and with Allison and Jack curled up on either side. He kept waiting for a call saying that Mansfield was in town and waiting to see them, but the phone hadn’t rung yet.

 

Maybe Mansfield had changed his mind, Nathan thought wistfully. Maybe he wouldn’t want to see any of them.

 

As though his thought had triggered it, the phone rang, and Allison’s hand emerged from the blankets to grab the receiver. “Dr. Blake,” she muttered.

 

There was a pause, and Allison let out a breath. “No, I don’t know where either Sheriff Carter or Dr. Stark are, but if I see them, I’ll let them know that General Mansfield is looking for them.”

 

Nathan snorted as she hung up and cuddled closer. “You heard that?” Allison asked.

 

“How soon do we need to be there?” Jack muttered from the other side of Nathan.

 

“Not too soon,” Allison replied. “We’ve got an hour or two.”

 

Nathan smiled. “You’re just doing that because you want to make the general wait.”

 

“Guilty as charged,” Allison replied. “Do you mind?”

 

“Not at all,” Nathan assured her. “I don’t think we’ve got time for another round, though.”

 

“Is that a challenge?” Jack asked from Nathan’s right. “Because I’d be happy to rise to the occasion.”

 

“As would I.” Allison moved quickly, sitting up and straddling Nathan’s hips. “Jack?”

 

“Right behind Nathan,” Jack replied.

 

Nathan grunted as Allison stroked him until he was hard, which didn’t take much, and then she rolled on a condom and sank down onto his cock. “This way.” Allison urged Nathan to roll onto his side, their legs tangling together.

 

Nathan let out a gasp when Jack’s slick finger traced the cleft of his ass, and his back arched as Jack’s finger found his asshole.

 

“What—” Nathan choked out.

 

Nathan could hear the smile in Jack’s voice when he replied, “Do you really need a step-by-step manual, Nathan?”

 

He let out an inarticulate growl. “Jack.”

 

Jack chuckled, and Nathan felt two fingers enter him, gentle but sure. “We both enjoy rendering you speechless far too much.”

 

Nathan grunted. “Shut up.”

 

“Not until you do,” Allison said with a kiss.

 

Nathan felt Jack’s fingers opening him up, and then Jack added a third finger, finding Nathan’s prostate. Nathan tried to focus on the rhythm that Allison had begun with no luck. He was too distracted by Allison’s heat around his cock and Jack’s fingers inside him.

 

Jack’s arm wrapped around Nathan from behind. “Hang on.”

 

Nathan felt the blunt head of Jack’s cock from behind and Allison’s heat and tightness in front, and he groaned inarticulately, coming hard.

 

Nathan managed to get his thumb onto Allison’s clit, and she fell apart a moment later.

 

Jack kept thrusting his hips behind Nathan, hitting Nathan’s prostate with every stroke. “Hang on,” Jack managed to say. “Just hang on.”

 

Nathan gripped Allison’s hips, feeling as though he was flying apart because he was feeling so fucking much.

 

Jack grunted behind him, and Nathan could feel the rhythm of Jack’s thrusts change tempo, and he knew that Jack was coming. “Fuck,” Jack murmured in Nathan’s ear. “Now that’s how I’d like to wake up every day.”

 

“I’m sure,” Allison replied dryly, having recovered first. “I call first shower.”

 

Jack’s arms tightened around Nathan before Nathan could move to join her. “You okay?”

 

“You think we’re going to get through this business with Mansfield unscathed?” Nathan countered.

 

Jack sighed. “We’ll play good cop, bad cop, just like we talked about. If we stay strong, then yes. I think we’ll get through it.”

 

“You won’t get any arguments from me,” Nathan replied quietly. “I just—he could still decide that I need to be sanctioned, Jack.”

 

“And we will fight that decision every step of the way,” Jack said fiercely. “And if that doesn’t help, we’ll tell him that you’re essential, or we’ll lie through our fucking teeth. We’ll tell him what will happen if he doesn’t back off.”

 

Nathan relaxed slightly. “And what’s going to happen?”

 

“We’ll make him regret the day he was born,” Jack said. “We’ll make him regret _everything_.”

 

Nathan believed him. “Okay. We’ll do that.”

 

When Allison emerged from the shower, Jack and Nathan took their turns. Nathan wished they had more time to really enjoy one another, but they both needed to meet Mansfield at GD, and Allison had to be at work as well.

 

They’d been lucky to even have one night, since Allison couldn’t very well kick Kevin out for an evening. Since Kevin had begged to spend the night at a friend’s, they’d been grated a reprieve.

 

Nathan wondered when Allison would feel comfortable letting Kevin know that she was sharing a bed with both of them, but Nathan wasn’t willing to push. In time, he thought it wouldn’t matter. Kevin would become so used to having them around that the idea of his mom spending her nights with two men wouldn’t matter.

 

Nathan knew it would take time, however, and right now, they were just trying to buy themselves that time. They had to convince Mansfield to leave them alone, and then they could worry about Jack and Allison’s families.

 

Jack gave Nathan a ride to his house and waited in the car while Nathan changed into a suit and tie. Nathan glanced in the mirror to make sure that his tie was straight, and his suit fit right, and he smiled at his reflection. Nathan thought he might manage the part of bad cop without too much trouble.

 

Fargo met them in the lobby of GD. “General Mansfield is waiting for you in Conference One. Are you two okay with it? Do you want me to come?”

 

“I think we can handle it,” Jack assured him. “Don’t worry about it, Fargo.”

 

“I’ve already told Vince to expect us for lunch,” Fargo said. “So don’t worry about that. Just—get through it, okay?”

 

“Will do,” Jack assured Fargo, clasping his shoulder.

 

Nathan followed Jack’s example. “Don’t worry, Fargo. We’ll get this taken care of.”

 

General Mansfield was already waiting when Jack and Nathan appeared in the conference room. “What the hell are you thinking?” Mansfield demanded as soon as Jack entered. “You’re going to let a potential security risk just walk around?”

 

“Dr. Stark was the head of Global Dynamics,” Jack replied, taking a seat. “He has the same security clearance now that he had two years ago. Nothing has happened to change that.”

 

“You don’t know that!” Mansfield snapped. He glared at Nathan. “What do you have to say for yourself, Dr. Stark?”

 

Nathan smiled coldly. “Only that I don’t plan on selling any secrets to our enemies, whoever they might be. My loyalties are the same, General.”

 

“Are they?” Mansfield sneered. “I always wondered about your loyalties. How am I supposed to trust you, knowing you were dead?”

 

“Well, we could kill you and bring _you_ back,” Jack suggested. “Would that help?”

 

When Mansfield rounded on Jack, Nathan pulled up the information they’d gathered on the conference room screen. “Or we could go straight to why we believe your loyalties are in question, general.”

 

Mansfield turned on Nathan. “What the—” The information on the screen caught his eye. “What is this?” Mansfield asked.

 

Jack smiled. “This is the dirt that we found on you. We’d rather it hadn’t come to this, but we’re acting out of self-defense.”

 

All the color had drained from Mansfield’s face. “You—how did you find this?”

 

“I had gathered most of this information before I—well, let’s just say died,” Nathan said with a smile. “It wasn’t hard to follow the trail of breadcrumbs, and it was something I was happy to do under the circumstances.”

 

Mansfield flushed, but it was clear he had no way to respond. “You’re—”

 

“You’re selling Eureka out,” Jack snapped. “You’re putting our livelihoods at risk for a few extra dollars. If you hadn’t funneled contracts away from Eureka, and pushed for results in an unsafe manner, the Trust never would have gained a foothold.”

 

“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” Mansfield replied. “You won’t get far with this.”

“There are a number of other people who have this information,” Nathan replied, easily. He was enjoying watching Jack work. “Including reporters, and they have orders to release it to the general press if anything should happen to us. If I disappear, or if Jack has an accident, or _anything_ should happen, your financial information will be on the front page of every major newspaper in this country—and maybe several others.”

 

Mansfield flushed angrily. “You won’t get away with this.”

 

Nathan smiled serenely. “No, actually, I think we will. My suggestion is that you resign. You don’t have many other options.”

 

Mansfield growled inarticulately and rushed out of the room. “Well, I think that was successful,” Jack said.

 

“I think you might be right,” Nathan replied. “With any luck, he’ll be gone in another week or two.”

 

“Let’s hope so,” Jack said fervently. He circled the table and began kneading Nathan’s shoulders. “Are you okay?”

 

Nathan smiled, thinking of that morning, and of the dinner they’d planned for that night. With luck, he’d have a thousand nights with Jack and Allison, and ten thousand dinners.

 

“Yeah,” Nathan finally said. “I’m great.”

 

~~~~~

 

Zane had wanted to be fly on the wall when Carter and Stark confronted Mansfield. There was no way he’d be allowed in the room, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him.

 

“What are you doing?” Jo demanded from behind him.

 

For a moment, he thought about trying to hide what he was up to, but then he turned in his chair. “Don’t you want to know how Carter’s meeting with Mansfield is going?”

 

Jo’s eyes widened. “Zane, you can’t spy on them.”

 

“Why not?”

 

Jo opened her mouth—probably to detail exactly how wrong Zane had been to hack into the security feed for the conference room—but Zane held up a hand. “You’re just mad that you didn’t think of it first.”

 

Jo hesitated, clearly torn, and then she sat. “Let’s see it.”

 

Stark and Carter had just taken their seats when Zane pulled up audio, and Jo leaned in close. Zane had a hard time focusing on the screen; he could smell Jo’s faintly floral shampoo, and he kept glancing at her profile.

 

Zane kept telling himself that Jo wasn’t his type, but it didn’t seem to help.

 

Jo grinned at the screen as Carter and Stark hammered the last nail into Mansfield’s coffin, and Zane felt a rush of pride and relief. Mansfield would be scrambling to cover his ass now; he wouldn’t have time to go after anyone else.

 

“Okay, that was worth seeing,” Jo admitted when Mansfield walked out, but she frowned when Carter began giving Stark a back rub. “What the—”

 

Zane’s eyes widened as the pieces clicked together. “Holy shit.”

 

“What?”

 

“Stark, Carter, and Dr. Blake,” Zane prompted. “All three of them. This is proof.”

 

Jo snorted. “No way.”

 

“Way,” Zane shot back as Allison entered the conference room. “Watch.”

 

Carter didn’t remove his hands from Stark’s shoulders, and Zane and Jo watched as Allison asked, “How did it go?”

 

“I think Mansfield will turn in his resignation by the end of the week,” Stark replied. “We’re in the clear, Allie.”

 

She smiled, relief clear on her face, and she kissed first Carter, and then Stark—and not just a polite peck on the cheek either.

 

“Told you,” Zane said smugly.

 

Jo reached over and shut down the screen. “I really don’t need to see any more.”

 

“Oh, come on, Lupo,” Zane teased. “It’s not a bad visual.”

 

“I need to be able to look them in the eye,” Jo shot back. Her face flushed. “But you’re right. It’s not a bad visual.”

 

Zane leered at her. “Want to put it to use?”

 

Instead of smacking him as he’d expected, Jo just smiled. “Maybe some other time,” she said as she walked out the door, a little extra swing in her hips.

 

Zane leaned back in his chair and whistled. “Well. This is going to be interesting all the way around.”

 

He laughed a little and murmured, “Just the way I like it.”

 


End file.
